〜がちです／がちになる: meaning and usage

How to form it

• verb (masu-stem)+がちだ/がちになる
• noun+がちだ
• verb (masu-stem)+がちな+noun

How it is used

Something undesirable tends to happen often: 'be apt to, tend to'. With nouns it appears in set words like 「病気がち」 and 「留守がち」. Unlike 「〜気味」 (a slight sign of something), it describes a recurring tendency.

Examples

1. あの子は子猫が死んでからというもの、いつも泣きがちだ。

   Ever since the kitten died, that child has been prone to crying.

2. 冬は運動不足になりがちです。

   People tend not to get enough exercise in winter.

3. 父は最近、仕事で留守がちだ。

   My father has often been away from home for work lately.