as in bowing
bending downward or forward
the inclining branches of the evergreens seemed almost ready to break under the weight of the heavy snow
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tilting
to set or cause to be at an angle
carefully inclined the ladder against the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaning
to show a liking or proneness (for something)
a good restaurant for diners who incline to spicy food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inclining
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Outside a San Diego immigration court, a man, his mother, and his two daughters stand in a tight circle, inclining their heads toward a priest.
—Sophie Hills, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
The trim and inclining experiment is to confirm the centre of gravity of the submarine and is measured by naval architects in both surfaced and submerged conditions.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Outside a San Diego immigration court, a man, his mother, and his two daughters stand in a tight circle, inclining their heads toward a priest.
—Sophie Hills, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inclining
Verb
-
The Osprey was the first production tiltrotor—an aircraft with propellers that can swivel on their mounts, pointing up for vertical takeoff and tilting forward for horizontal flight.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
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Though the Kremlin-friendly Orban had held power for the past 16 years, partly by tilting the electoral system in his favor, his far-right Fidesz party lost to the center-right Tisza party of anti-corruption campaigner Peter Magyar.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He’s broken with some more left-leaning Democrats in supporting nuclear, natural gas, and oil development in addition to renewable energy to help drive down costs for consumers.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Fresh produce such as asparagus, leeks and peas tends to steal the spotlight this time of year, and our team has certainly been leaning into vegetable-forward dishes as of late.—
Victoria Caruso,
Washington Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Verb
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The hole should have sloping sides to encourage roots to grow out wide into the surrounding soil.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The quick loss of water is even more evident in areas with banks, sloping lawns, and those with lots of hardscaping like walkways.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For gardeners who have spent years tending beds and borders, the basics can feel like second nature.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
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James Guillory / Imagn Images OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was absent from the team’s Monday morning postmortem, tending to his wife, Emma, after the birth of their second child.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Inclining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inclining. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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