What is electronegativity?

Electronegativity is defined as the ability of an atom to attract electrons towards itself when it is bonded to another atom. This concept is crucial in understanding how atoms interact in chemical bonds, particularly in determining the nature of those bonds—whether they are ionic or covalent. When two different atoms form a bond, the atom with a higher electronegativity will have a stronger pull on the shared electrons, leading to polarized bonds.

In the context of this question, choice C accurately captures this definition by stating that electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons. This property is influenced by factors such as the atom's charge and the distance of the bonding electrons from the nucleus. Thus, the higher the electronegativity value of an atom, the greater its ability to attract electrons in a bond, which has tremendous implications in predicting bond polarity and molecular behavior.