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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in leaning
running in a slanting direction
the cant buttresses on the interior walls are made of solid oak
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cant
Literary Hub, 29 Oct. 2025
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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 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
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
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
The cockpit is canted towards the driver and the warm glow of the ambient lights bathe the cabin in red.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Sharply angled surfaces, called chines, run from the nose to the air intakes on either side of the lower fuselage; chines then run further back from those intakes to the wings and to twin tail fins, which are slightly canted from the vertical.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Jan. 2020
Noun
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
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
Verb
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
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
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
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
The cockpit is canted towards the driver and the warm glow of the ambient lights bathe the cabin in red.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Sharply angled surfaces, called chines, run from the nose to the air intakes on either side of the lower fuselage; chines then run further back from those intakes to the wings and to twin tail fins, which are slightly canted from the vertical.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cant
Verb
-
Beginning with the March vernal equinox, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun until June's summer solstice, when the sun starts to move back south, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The design allows the sails to rotate a full 360 degrees, while the masts can tilt by as much as 70 degrees to optimize wind angles.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Although the injury forced Suzuki out of the game in the first inning of their 8-5 elimination loss to Venezuela, he was thrilled getting to play in the WBC after an oblique injury forced him to withdraw from the 2023 tournament shortly before play began.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Bergert and Falter have seen extended opportunities this spring — due to the World Baseball Classic — and Kolek is dealing with a left oblique strain.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But by stabilizing and then regrouping constructively, Interdigital has now traced out a bullish inverse head-and-shoulders pattern with an upward-sloping neckline.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Jost, who also submitted comments to the MPCA on her own behalf, noted that major flooding could someday spread hazardous waste that is buried dozens of feet down, and the site could eventually pose a threat to slope stability.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As part of his new collection for the brand, Arnold unveiled a new shape—a slightly sloping, almost smile-like pleat that’s simultaneously nonchalant and fully sophisticated.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Their test setup involved a ramp containing sand to simulate sloping dunes on Mars.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Holtz in his later years became something of a caricature, like an actor who leans into the over-the-top quirks of his role.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Bella Hadid followed suit, while also making appearances in the Italian city of design, styling a brown suede jacket with straight-leg denim and pointy boots, leaning into her now-infamous cowgirl-with-a-twist aesthetic.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His sloped shoulders suggested bodily power that was sleepy and sly; his large head and dark, badly cut hair amplified the weight and solidity of him, but his lips were sensitive and a little slack, as if yearning for something he’d been long deprived of.—
Mary Gaitskill,
New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The sloped, landscaped half-acre lot offers a terrace and a two-car garage.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Three minutes later, Koga jumped to meet a corner from Honoko Hayashi and angled it into the back of the net to give Japan a 2-0 halftime lead.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In the movie’s fuzzy metaphysics, Shelley wills herself into the consciousness of a character named Ida (also played by Buckley), a young woman angling for survival in 1930s Chicago — a colorful, dangerous world of bawdy lotharios and lethal gangsters.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cant. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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