Pattern vs. Trend — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 25, 2023
A pattern refers to a recurring design or sequence, while a trend represents the overall direction in which something is evolving or changing.
Difference Between Pattern and Trend
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Pattern and Trend are terms that describe sequences or arrangements, but in different contexts and connotations. A pattern typically refers to a repeated design, sequence, or regular arrangement that can be found in various domains like art, behavior, and science. For example, in textiles, a pattern may refer to the repetition of a particular design. In behavior, one might observe a pattern in how someone reacts to certain stimuli.
On the other hand, a trend is usually associated with a general direction in which something is developing or changing. This can be related to fashion, economics, or social behavior among other fields. In fashion, a trend might refer to a particular style gaining popularity. In statistics, a trend can indicate a certain data movement over a period of time, suggesting an inclination or direction.
Moreover, while patterns are often constant or cyclical, trends can be transient, coming and going with time. A pattern might remain consistent, like the pattern of seasons, but trends, such as fashion or market trends, evolve and change. For instance, bell-bottom jeans might be a trend in fashion that comes and goes, while the pattern of day and night remains consistent.
Lastly, patterns are often recognizable by their repetition and can be predicted once understood. Trends, however, can be more challenging to predict due to the various influencing factors. The stock market, for instance, has trends, but they're influenced by a myriad of variables, making them hard to forecast with absolute certainty.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A repeated design or sequence.
A general direction of development or change.
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Usage Context
Art, behavior, science.
Fashion, economics, social behavior.
Duration
Often constant or cyclical.
Can be transient or evolving.
Predictability
Recognizable and can be predicted once understood.
Harder to predict due to influencing factors.
Examples
Textile designs, behavior sequences.
Fashion styles, stock market movements.
Compare with Definitions
Pattern
A model or design used as a guide.
She used a pattern to sew her dress.
Trend
A general direction in which something is developing or changing.
The trend nowadays is towards organic food.
Pattern
A distribution or arrangement of parts.
The tiles had a checkered pattern.
Trend
A general tendency or course of events.
There's a trend of moving to urban areas.
Pattern
A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner.
Trend
An inclination or bias.
There's a trend in the data that we need to consider.
Pattern
A usually repeating artistic or decorative design
A paisley pattern.
Trend
A fashion or style.
The new trend in shoes is all about comfort.
Pattern
A natural or accidental arrangement or sequence
The pattern of rainfall over the past year.
Trend
A general tendency or course of events
A warming trend.
Pattern
A plan, diagram, or model to be followed in making things
A dress pattern.
Trend
Current style; vogue
The latest trend in fashion.
Pattern
A model or original used for imitation or as an archetype.
Trend
The general direction of something
The river's southern trend.
Pattern
A composite of traits or features characteristic of an individual or a group
One's pattern of behavior.
Trend
To show a general tendency; tend
The magazine's circulation is trending downward.
Pattern
Form and style in an artistic work or body of artistic works.
Trend
To undergo a rapid increase in public interest or attention
News of the earthquake is trending on social media.
Pattern
The configuration of gunshots upon a target that is used as an indication of skill in shooting.
Trend
To extend, incline, or veer in a specified direction
The prevailing wind trends northeast.
Pattern
The distribution and spread, around a targeted region, of spent shrapnel, bomb fragments, or shot from a shotgun.
Trend
An inclination in a particular direction.
The trend of a coastline
The upward trend of stock-market prices
Pattern
Enough material to make a complete garment.
Trend
A tendency.
There is a trend, these days, for people in films not to smoke.
Pattern
A test pattern.
Trend
A fad or fashion style.
Miniskirts were one of the biggest trends of the 1960s.
Pattern
The flight path of an aircraft about to land
A flight pattern.
Trend
(mathematics) A line drawn on a graph that approximates the trend of a number of disparate points.
Pattern
(Football) A pass pattern.
Trend
(nautical) The lower end of the shank of an anchor, being the same distance on the shank from the throat that the arm measures from the throat to the bill.
Pattern
To make, mold, or design by following a pattern
We patterned this plan on the previous one. My daughter patterned her military career after her father's.
Trend
(nautical) The angle made by the line of a vessel's keel and the direction of the anchor cable, when she is swinging at anchor.
Pattern
To cover or ornament with a design or pattern.
Trend
Clean wool.
Pattern
To make a pattern.
Trend
(intransitive) To have a particular direction; to run; to stretch; to tend.
The shore of the sea trends to the southwest.
Pattern
Model, example.
Trend
(transitive) To cause to turn; to bend.
Pattern
Something from which a copy is made; a model or outline.
Trend
To be the subject of a trend; to be currently popular, relevant or interesting.
What topics have been trending on social networks this week?
Pattern
Someone or something seen as an example to be imitated; an exemplar.
Trend
To cleanse or clean (something, usually wool).
Pattern
A copy.
Trend
To have a particular direction; to run; to stretch; to tend; as, the shore of the sea trends to the southwest.
Pattern
A sample; of coins, an example which was struck but never minted.
Trend
To cause to turn; to bend.
Not far beneath i' the valley as she trendsHer silver stream.
Pattern
A representative example.
Trend
To cleanse, as wool.
Pattern
(US) The material needed to make a piece of clothing.
Trend
Inclination in a particular direction; tendency; general direction; as, the trend of a coast.
Pattern
(textiles) The paper or cardboard template from which the parts of a garment are traced onto fabric prior to cutting out and assembling.
Trend
Clean wool.
Pattern
A full-sized model around which a mould of sand is made, to receive the melted metal. It is usually made of wood and in several parts, so as to be removed from the mould without damage.
Trend
A general direction in which something tends to move;
The shoreward tendency of the current
The trend of the stock market
Pattern
(computing) A text string containing wildcards, used for matching.
There were no files matching the pattern
*.txt.Trend
General line of orientation;
The river takes a southern course
The northeastern trend of the coast
Pattern
A design pattern.
Trend
A general tendency to change (as of opinion);
Not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book
A broad movement of the electorate to the right
Pattern
Coherent or decorative arrangement.
Trend
The popular taste at a given time;
Leather is the latest vogue
He followed current trends
The 1920s had a style of their own
Pattern
A design, motif or decoration, especially formed from regular repeated elements.
Trend
Turn sharply; change direction abruptly;
The car cut to the left at the intersection
The motorbike veered to the right
Pattern
A naturally-occurring or random arrangement of shapes, colours etc. which have a regular or decorative effect.
Trend
A topic that is the subject of many posts on social media.
The latest movie is trending online.
Pattern
The given spread, range etc. of shot fired from a gun.
Pattern
A particular sequence of events, facts etc. which can be understood, used to predict the future, or seen to have a mathematical, geometric, statistical etc. relationship.
Pattern
(linguistics) An intelligible arrangement in a given area of language.
Pattern
A sequence of notes, percussion etc. in a tracker module, usable once or many times within the song.
Pattern
To apply a pattern.
Pattern
To make or design (anything) by, from, or after, something that serves as a pattern; to copy; to model; to imitate.
Pattern
To follow an example.
Pattern
To fit into a pattern.
Pattern
(transitive) To serve as an example for.
Pattern
To observe an animal closely over time in order to discern its habitual movements and behaviours.
Pattern
(MLE) To arrange, to organise, to fix.
Pattern
Of or in accordance with a usual pattern, or type; model; ideal.
Pattern
Anything proposed for imitation; an archetype; an exemplar; that which is to be, or is worthy to be, copied or imitated; as, a pattern of a machine.
I will be the pattern of all patience.
Pattern
A part showing the figure or quality of the whole; a specimen; a sample; an example; an instance.
He compares the pattern with the whole piece.
Pattern
Stuff sufficient for a garment; as, a dress pattern.
Pattern
Figure or style of decoration; design; as, wall paper of a beautiful pattern.
Pattern
Something made after a model; a copy.
The patterns of things in the heavens.
Pattern
Anything cut or formed to serve as a guide to cutting or forming objects; as, a dressmaker's pattern.
Pattern
A full-sized model around which a mold of sand is made, to receive the melted metal. It is usually made of wood and in several parts, so as to be removed from the mold without injuring it.
Pattern
A recognizable characteristic relationship or set of relationships between the members of any set of objects or actions, or the properties of the members; also, the set having a definable relationship between its members.
Pattern
A diagram showing the distribution of the pellets of a shotgun on a vertical target perpendicular to the plane of fire.
Pattern
The recommended flight path for an airplane to follow as it approaches an airport for a landing. Same as landing pattern.
Pattern
An image or diagram containing lines, usually horizontal, vertical, and diagonal, sometimes of varying widths, used to test the resolution of an optical instrument or the accuracy of reproduction of image copying or transmission equipment. Same as test pattern.
Pattern
To make or design (anything) by, from, or after, something that serves as a pattern; to copy; to model; to imitate.
[A temple] patterned from that which Adam reared in Paradise.
Pattern
To serve as an example for; also, to parallel.
Pattern
A perceptual structure;
The composition presents problems for students of musical form
A visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them
Pattern
A customary way of operation or behavior;
It is their practice to give annual raises
They changed their dietary pattern
Pattern
A decorative or artistic work;
The coach had a design on the doors
Pattern
Something regarded as a normative example;
The convention of not naming the main character
Violence is the rule not the exception
His formula for impressing visitors
Pattern
A model considered worthy of imitation;
The American constitution has provided a pattern for many republics
Pattern
Something intended as a guide for making something else;
A blueprint for a house
A pattern for a skirt
Pattern
The path that is prescribed for an airplane that is preparing to land at an airport;
The traffic patterns around O'Hare are very crowded
They stayed in the pattern until the fog lifted
Pattern
Graphical representation (in polar or cartesian coordinates) of the spatial distribution of radiation from an antenna as a function of angle
Pattern
Plan or create according to a model or models
Pattern
Form a pattern;
These sentences pattern like the ones we studied before
Pattern
A repeated design or motif.
The dress had a beautiful floral pattern.
Pattern
A regular and intelligible form or sequence discernible in certain actions or situations.
She noticed a pattern in his behavior.
Pattern
An example for others to follow.
He set a pattern of excellence.
Common Curiosities
Is a pattern always visual?
No, patterns can be found in behavior, events, and more.
Are trends always temporary?
Not always, but they often evolve or change with time.
Are "pattern" and "trend" synonyms?
Not exactly. While both describe sequences, a pattern is repetitive while a trend indicates direction.
Can patterns change over time?
Some can, but many are constant or cyclical.
Can a trend exist within a pattern?
Yes, for example, fashion trends can cycle in patterns over decades.
Can a trend become a pattern?
If a trend becomes cyclical and repetitive, it might be considered a pattern.
Can you "set" a trend?
Yes, influential figures often set trends in fashion, opinion, and more.
Are trends always forward-moving?
Not necessarily; some trends can look to the past, like retro fashion trends.
What influences trends?
Multiple factors, including societal changes, technology, and individual preferences.
Are all trends influential?
Not all; some trends have limited reach or influence.
Which is more predictable, a pattern or a trend?
Patterns are often more predictable due to their repetition.
Are patterns always natural?
No, they can be man-made, like patterns in art or textiles.
Can patterns be found in data analysis?
Yes, patterns in data can indicate consistent behaviors or occurrences.
Can patterns be broken?
Yes, especially behavioral or habitual patterns with conscious effort.
Is recognizing patterns an essential skill?
Often yes, especially in fields like data analysis, psychology, and strategy.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
