inflection

noun

in·flec·tion | \ in-ˈflek-shən

Definition of inflection

1 : the act or result of curving or bending : bend

2 : change in pitch or loudness of the voice

3a : the change of form that words undergo to mark such distinctions as those of case, gender, number, tense, person, mood, or voice

b : a form, suffix, or element involved in such variation

c : accidence

4a : change in curvature of an arc or curve from concave to convex or conversely

b : inflection point

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about inflection

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Examples of inflection in a Sentence

She spoke with no inflection. She read the lines with an upward inflection. Most English adjectives do not require inflection. “Gone” and “went” are inflections of the verb “go.” English has fewer inflections than many other languages.

Recent Examples on the Web

Chinese delegates packed the hall minutes before Mr. Xi walked on stage, applauding the president on cue at key inflections in his speech. — Rachel Pannett, WSJ, "U.S., China Clash Over Trade, Security at Pacific Summit," 17 Nov. 2018 There are long critical essays, short book reviews, reportage with a literary inflection, histories, missives, diary entries, aphorisms, parables, advice, dreams, a test, fictional excursus and, yes, lists. — Zachary Fine, WSJ, "‘Attention’ Review: Anatomist of Our Disorder," 30 Aug. 2018 Only six characters long, but with inflections, extensions and complications that go on and on. — New York Times, "Swahili, the Pulse of Life at the Crossroads," 14 June 2018 The idea here is a refined take on the classic oyster bar, with just enough Italian inflection to justify the North End address. — Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, "18 Best Restaurants in Boston," 16 July 2018 Hardy’s Brock is composed of weird facial tics, squeaky vocal inflections, and hunched body language. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "Venom is a bizarre and baffling mess," 3 Oct. 2018 Motl Didner, the Folksbiene’s associate artistic director, provided recordings in Yiddish and Dropbox files for each actor’s part so the performers could learn to properly handle the language’s inflections. — Joseph Berger, New York Times, "How Do You Say ‘Tradition’ in Yiddish?," 11 July 2018 The computer program learns how to mimic the person’s facial expressions, mannerisms, voice, and inflections. — Deb Riechmann, BostonGlobe.com, "‘I never said that!’ The high-tech deception of ‘deepfake’ videos," 2 July 2018 There’s often a proverbial fine line separating similar wine words — a single letter difference, or an inflection. — Michael Austin, chicagotribune.com, "A lesson on wine terms that will go down easy," 13 June 2018

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