Final answer:
Electronegativity measures an atom's ability to attract electrons or electron density towards itself in a compound, and the statement is true. It is different from electron affinity and increases across the periodic table as seen in fluorine, which has the highest value.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract electrons (or electron density) towards itself. Electronegativity is a qualitative scale used to determine how strongly an atom in a compound attracts bonding electrons. The higher the electronegativity value, the more an atom can attract bonding electrons.
Fluorine, with an electronegativity of 3.98, attracts electrons more effectively than any other element, making it the most electronegative. This property varies throughout the periodic table, generally increasing from left to right, indicating that the ability to attract electrons improves across a period.
Moreover, electronegativity is different from electron affinity because it does not measure the energy change when an atom gains an electron but rather reflects the relative ability among atoms to attract electrons when they are part of a compound.