Synonyms of cant

cant 1 of 4

noun (1)

as in inclination

the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon

a steep cant of the riverbank at that turn in the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inclination
• slope
• incline
• lean
• gradient
• pitch
• rake
• upgrade
• diagonal
• climb
• grade
• bank
• slant
• rise
• ascent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fall
• decline
• dip
• hanging
• downgrade
• descent
• declination
• declivity
• declension
• hang
• receding

cant

2 of 4

noun (2)

1

as in deception

the pretending of having virtues, principles, or beliefs that one in fact does not have

many accused the evangelist of cant, since his lavish lifestyle seemed to bear little resemblance to what he was preaching

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• deceit
• hypocrisy
• affectation
• deceptiveness
• pretense
• insincerity
• dissembling
• dissimulation
• pretension
• deceitfulness
• piousness
• dishonesty
• shamming
• falseness
• smoothness
• double-dealing
• affectedness
• fraudulentness
• duplicity
• fakery
• falsity
• perfidy
• sanctimoniousness
• artificiality
• self-satisfaction
• pretentiousness
• two-facedness
• oiliness
• self-righteousness
• glibness
• unctuousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• genuineness
• honesty
• frankness
• truthfulness
• openness
• candor
• directness
• probity
• straightforwardness
• sincereness
• forthrightness
• naturalness
• artlessness
• unaffectedness
• openheartedness
• guilelessness

2

as in terminology

the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field

the colorful cant used by movie producers and publicity agents in Hollywood

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terminology
• vocabulary
• language
• dialect
• slang
• jive
• shop
• idiom
• jargon
• lingo
• argot
• patois
• patter
• speech
• shoptalk
• vernacular
• colloquial
• regionalism
• colloquialism
• pidgin
• parlance
• localism
• vernacularism
• educationese
• computerese
• provincialism
• governmentese
• slanguage
• journalese
• cyberspeak
• technobabble
• bureaucratese

cant

3 of 4

adjective

as in leaning

running in a slanting direction

the cant buttresses on the interior walls are made of solid oak

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leaning
• oblique
• sloping
• sloped
• diagonal
• graded
• inclined
• listing
• tilted
• tilting
• pitched
• slant
• canted
• slanted
• raked
• slantwise

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• level
• vertical
• horizontal
• parallel
• up-and-down
• perpendicular
• plumb

cant

4 of 4

verb

as in to tilt

to set or cause to be at an angle

carefully canted the ladder against the wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tilt
• slope
• lean
• angle
• incline
• tip
• cock
• heel
• list
• deviate
• pitch
• slant
• bend
• bank
• descend
• retreat
• swerve
• veer
• decline
• recline

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straighten
• level
• even
• flatten

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cant

Noun

If thieves’ cant—a language known only to criminals—was the Devil’s cabinet, bourgeois society couldn’t help but peep inside. — JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2024

In the past, most serious coppice-workers divided the underwood into sections (known variously as panels, cants, fells, coupes, sales, burrows, and haggs), each containing a range of species on different cycles, so guaranteeing a crop every year. — Literary Hub, 29 Oct. 2025

Verb

Instead, think of a vector positioned in the x-y plane and canted at 45 degrees to the x-axis. — IEEE Spectrum, 15 Nov. 2018

Alex stood across the living room, his head canted down and his eyes fixated on a carousel of TikTok videos emanating from his mother’s cellphone. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025

The cabin of a Lusso is a special place, notable for its dash, which prominently positions the huge speedometer and tach centrally and canted toward the driver. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2026

Verdier’s most notable innovation is the use of a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils. — Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

For Kansas City Fire Department paramedic Fidel Cervantes, the event was a cant-miss experience. — Latif Love june 25, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

The center screen is handsomely integrated well below your road-facing sightline, and slightly canted toward the driver for exceptional readability. — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 21 Jan. 2026