bent 1 of 3

chiefly British

bent

2 of 3

noun

bent

3 of 3

verb

past tense of bend
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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun bent differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bent are aptitude, faculty, genius, gift, knack, and talent. While all these words mean "a special ability for doing something," bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

When would aptitude be a good substitute for bent?

While the synonyms aptitude and bent are close in meaning, aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

When is faculty a more appropriate choice than bent?

The synonyms faculty and bent are sometimes interchangeable, but faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

In what contexts can genius take the place of bent?

Although the words genius and bent have much in common, genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

When might gift be a better fit than bent?

The words gift and bent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

Where would knack be a reasonable alternative to bent?

In some situations, the words knack and bent are roughly equivalent. However, knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

When is it sensible to use talent instead of bent?

The meanings of talent and bent largely overlap; however, talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

Examples of bent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The eight-piece stainless steel set comes with a knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks, straight straw, bent straw, straw cleaning brush, and carrying case. Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2024 But a few blocks from the Dotson's house, the concrete pillars of a home closer to the beach were bent flat like grass. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2024
Noun
The royal attended the opening of the 2024-25 season of the Royal Theater in Madrid, wearing a classic ensemble with a sustainable bent. Julia Teti, WWD, 24 Sep. 2024 The two Soul Reaver games were supernatural action puzzlers with a heavy Lovecraftian bent released first for the original PlayStation and Windows PCs in 1999, then for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. Wes Davis, The Verge, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near bent

Cite this Entry

“Bent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bent. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bent

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