mindmap root((趋势)) tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force: the ~ to expand the limits of what is art. (impel巨大驱动力: great impetus to move) trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course: the long-term ~ of the stock market is upward. drift may apply to a tendency whose direction or course may be determined by external forces: the ~ of population away from large cities; or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse: a racist ~ runs through all of his works. tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and continuous, undeviating course: a suburb seeking to maintain its ~ of tranquility(宁静). current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course or direction: an encounter that altered forever the ~ of my life.