Definition of inclination
1a obsolete : natural disposition : characterb : 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 asa : bow, nodb : a tilting of something
3a : a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal : slant; also : the degree of such deviationb : an inclined surface : slopec (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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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
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The President's inclination was always to pull out of the Agreement, according to sources inside the White House.
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This breakthrough came at an ironic cost as gay-friendly analysts in the 1990s and 2000s often repeated their predecessors’ inclination to emphasize attachment motivations at the expense of phallic drives.
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That group of proposals didn't include Rauner's property tax demand, and majority Democrats in the House also haven't shown much inclination to go along with the state's Republican leader.
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The natural inclination for a power hitter may be to let loose.
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Cornell did show some dark inclinations at an early age.
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The Electron rocket, which did not have a satellite aboard during this test flight, was intended to reach an elliptical orbit, about 186 to 310 miles above Earth at an 83- degree inclination.
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Shara had received input from several other top officials with similar inclinations.
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But by pitting users’ romantic inclinations against their impatience with random email promotions, the service unfortunately wraps up Cupid in spam’s clothing.
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 Defined for English Language Learners
inclination
playDefinition of inclination for English Language Learners
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: a feeling of wanting to do something : a tendency to do something
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: a slanting surface
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: the act of bending your head or body forward : the act of inclining your head or body
INCLINATION Defined for Kids
Medical Dictionary
inclination
playMedical Definition of inclination
: a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal; especially : the deviation of the long axis of a tooth or of the slope of a cusp from the vertical
Learn More about inclination
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See words that rhyme with inclination Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inclination Spanish Central: Translation of inclination Nglish: Translation of inclination for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inclination for Arabic speakers
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