inclination

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noun in·cli·na·tion \ ˌin-klə-ˈnā-shən , ˌiŋ- \

Definition of inclination

1 a obsolete :natural disposition :character

b :a particular disposition of mind or character :propensity; especially :liking

had little inclination for housekeeping

2 :an act or the action of bending or inclining: such as

a :bow, nod

b :a tilting of something

3 a :a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal :slant; also :the degree of such deviation

b :an inclined surface :slope

c (1) :the angle determined by two lines or planes

(2) :the angle made by a line with the x-axis measured counterclockwise from the positive direction of that axis

4 :a tendency to a particular aspect, state, character, or action

the clutch has an inclination to slip

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inclinational

play \ˌin-klə-ˈnā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl, ˌiŋ-\ adjective

See inclination defined for English-language learners

See inclination defined for kids

Examples of inclination in a Sentence

She shows no inclination to give in to their demands.
He's a loner by inclination.
My first inclination was to say no, but I finally decided to do what she asked.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to learn about such matters.

Recent Examples of inclination from the Web

Republican leaders have showed no inclination to vote on immigration this year and Democrats have dismissed it.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "Fox Valley leaders outline pros, cons of Trump-endorsed immigration bill," 4 Aug. 2017
In more than six months, the president has shown no inclination to abandon the erratic tweets and off-message rants that time and again have thrown his White House off course.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Kelly Sends Off Scaramucci, But Real Test Will Be Taming Trump," 1 Aug. 2017
To suddenly reject it — or even equivocate — and tacitly undermine the basic, foundational idea that male is male and female is female reveals a frightening inclination to redefine truth.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "The Anglican Church Is Forsaking Tradition and Moral Truth," 28 July 2017
There are correlations between ETNO nodes and inclinations where none should exist, meaning the objects seem group together during parts of their orbit for no apparent reason.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Astronomers Find New Evidence for Existence of Planet Nine," 12 July 2017
To measure inclinations toward impulsive decisions in the study, researchers had volunteers rapidly make a series of hypothetical choices.

— jenna gallegos, Washington Post, "Brain-training games don’t really train brains, a new study suggests," 10 July 2017
Jorge Bonifacio is a 24-year-old rookie with a pure stroke, a well of power potential, and an inclination toward politeness.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Royals’ defense wobbles as they lose to Twins, split doubleheader," 1 July 2017
Rubin stuck to her indie inclination—and ironically, after selling a 10-episode psychosexual drama called Gypsy to Netflix, Sam Taylor-Johnson came onboard to direct and executive produce the first two episodes.

— julie miller, VanityFair.com, "The Story Behind Gypsy, Netflix’s New Psychosexual Drama Starring Naomi Watts," 30 June 2017
L.A. ranked in the top 10 in pace multiple times during his tenure—but his natural inclination in recent years has been to control the game by valuing every possession, working like a surgeon rather than a sprinter.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "Chris Paul Bets His NBA Career On The Rockets," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inclination.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of inclination

14th century

inclination Synonyms

INCLINATION Defined for English Language Learners

inclination

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noun

Definition of inclination for English Language Learners

: a feeling of wanting to do something : a tendency to do something
: a slanting surface
: the act of bending your head or body forward : the act of inclining your head or body