inflection

noun in·flec·tion \ in-ˈflek-shən \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: inflection in a Sentence

Definition of inflection

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

2 : change in pitch or loudness of the voice

3 a : 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

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

b : inflection point

See inflection defined for English-language learners

See inflection defined for kids

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 of inflection from the Web

Today, however, Turner is struggling to describe the inflections of his vocal tones on this album.

— eve barlow, latimes.com, "Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner has gone to the moon and has an album to show for it," 4 May 2018
XXXTentacion intermixes like this, too, with his voice taking on the inflections of AFI’s Davey Havok even when rapping.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Unsettling Familiarity of XXXTentacion," 26 Mar. 2018
This inflection is caused by a fungus called Histoplasma, which is most often found in places where there is a large amount of bird or bat droppings—like a cave.

— sarah klein, Health.com, "The Rescued Thai Soccer Team Is Being Monitored For 'Cave Disease' and Other Health Concerns," 10 July 2018
However, the kitchen’s real talent showed in its use of tarragon, which can easily overpower a dish, that was held in check and masterfully added just an inflection of licorice to the blend.

— michael bauer, SFChronicle.com, "Sorrel off to a stellar start in Pacific Heights," 6 July 2018
The computer program learns how to mimic the person’s facial expressions, mannerisms, voice and inflections.

— deb riechmann, The Seattle Times, "I never said that! High-tech deception of ‘deepfake’ videos," 3 July 2018
So, when a group of our Southern Living editors attempted to perfect the foreign inflection, the experiment went downhill quickly.

— Southern Living, "Southerners Trying Boston Accents Is The Funniest Thing You'll See Today," 27 June 2018
This is almost all one word, a dialect peculiar to the Merrimack Valley, a gruff inflection as familiar to me as air.

— kara baskin, BostonGlobe.com, "The best Italian sub around, with mayo and memories," 18 June 2018
Every play-by-play announcer has their own signature call, a voice inflection that captures the audience’s attention and, if the announcer is lucky, become iconic among a fanbase.

— scooby axson, SI.com, "Meet the Rockies' Barrier-Breaking Play-by-Play Announcer: Jenny Cavnar," 18 May 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.

Did You Know?

Changing the pitch, tone, or loudness of our words are ways we communicate meaning in speech, though not on the printed page. A rising inflection at the end of a sentence generally indicates a question, and a falling inflection indicates a statement, for example. Another way of inflecting words is by adding endings: -s to make a noun plural, -ed to put a verb in the past tense, -er to form the comparative form of an adjective, and so on.

First Known Use of inflection

1531

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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inflection Synonyms

Synonyms

angle, arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curvature, curve, turn, wind;

Related Words

kink, warp;

circle, ring, ringlet, round;

coil, curl, curlicue (also curlycue);

buckle, convolution, flexure, fold, loop, spiral, swirl, twist, winding;

incurvature, reflection;

decline, inclination, incline, slope;

corner, turnoff;

dogleg, hairpin;

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

INFLECTION Defined for English Language Learners

inflection

noun

Definition of inflection for English Language Learners

: a rise or fall in the sound of a person's voice : a change in the pitch or tone of a person's voice
grammar : a change in the form of a word that occurs when it has a particular use
: a form of a word that occurs when it has a particular use : an inflected form