Synonyms of bending

bending 1 of 2

adjective

as in curved

marked by a long series of irregular curves

the river takes a long bending path to the sea

Synonyms & Similar Words

• curved
• twisting
• winding
• curving
• twisted
• serpentine
• crooked
• curled
• curling
• tortuous
• sinuous
• curvy
• devious
• windy
• coiling
• jagged
• crazy
• spiral
• coiled
• spiraling
• indirect
• zigzag
• looping
• swirling
• circling
• uneven
• roundabout
• wandering
• zigzagging
• corkscrew
• circuitous
• rambling
• meandering
• irregular

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straight
• direct
• linear
• straightaway

bending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bend

1

as in arching

to cause to turn away from a straight line

she bent the blade of the knife when she got it jammed in the drawer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arching
• hooking
• bowing
• curving
• twisting
• curling
• crooking
• turning
• swerving
• waving
• rounding
• deflecting
• veering
• reflecting
• swirling
• arcing
• weaving
• inflecting
• diverting
• coiling
• kinking
• warping
• incurving
• looping
• twining
• winding
• spiraling
• sloping
• denting
• entwining
• inclining
• dimpling
• incurvating
• meandering
• enrolling
• declining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightening
• uncurling
• unbending

2

as in devoting

to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention

bent herself to the task for the rest of the day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devoting
• applying
• buckling
• giving
• addressing
• committing
• working
• getting cracking
• spending
• getting with it
• turning one's hand
• getting one's act together
• exerting
• settling (down)
• setting (to)
• reapplying
• involving
• concerning
• stressing
• taxing
• readdressing
• busying
• engaging
• straining
• plowing
• troubling
• exhausting
• grinding
• wearing out
• humping
• hustling
• knuckling down
• carrying on
• plunging (in)
• putting out
• pitching in
• plugging (away)
• plodding
• pegging (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• playing
• idling
• trifling
• dawdling
• fooling around
• fiddling (around)
• messing around
• dallying
• puttering (around)
• pottering (around)
• monkeying (around)
• dillydallying

3

as in aiming

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal

bent all of his efforts toward making his first documentary film

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aiming
• casting
• holding
• directing
• heading
• setting
• training
• focusing
• steering
• leveling
• pinpointing
• facing
• concentrating
• bearing
• orienting
• sighting
• inclining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• curving
• deflecting
• diverting
• shunting
• averting
• detouring
• sidetracking
• rechanneling

4

as in curving

to turn away from a straight line or course

the stream bends slightly to the east

Synonyms & Similar Words

• curving
• bowing
• sweeping
• arching
• rounding
• arcing
• winding
• turning
• falling off
• swerving
• trending
• crooking
• curling
• hooking
• wheeling
• looping
• circling
• coiling
• spiraling
• twisting
• deviating
• veering
• curlicuing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightening

5

as in distorting

to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of

attorneys bending the facts to put their client in the most favorable light

Synonyms & Similar Words

• distorting
• misrepresenting
• twisting
• slanting
• warping
• cooking
• falsifying
• complicating
• perverting
• misstating
• obscuring
• misinterpreting
• garbling
• fudging
• coloring
• censoring
• misrelating
• confusing
• masking
• mistaking
• disguising
• camouflaging
• dissembling
• whitewashing
• lying
• veiling
• mistranslating
• glossing (over)
• misdescribing
• misspeaking
• mixing (up)
• mystifying
• belying
• fibbing
• prevaricating
• bowdlerizing
• equivocating
• confounding
• paltering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• explaining
• interpreting
• illustrating
• clarifying
• illuminating
• clearing (up)
• spelling out
• deciphering

6

as in attaching

to cause (something) to hold to another

bend a leash to the dog's collar

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attaching
• affixing
• gluing
• tying
• clipping
• connecting
• fastening
• fixing
• adhering
• strapping
• clamping
• hanging
• sticking
• screwing
• pinning
• linking
• harnessing
• clenching
• tacking
• clasping
• tackling
• lashing
• nailing
• stapling
• clinching
• shackling
• latching
• pasting
• cinching
• riveting
• yoking
• bolting
• toggling
• joining
• uniting
• plastering
• lacing
• hasping
• reattaching
• buttoning
• coapting
• refastening
• refixing
• resecuring
• reaffixing
• battening
• belaying
• doing up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• detaching
• splitting
• undoing
• dividing
• separating
• unfastening
• unhooking
• disconnecting
• severing
• parting
• dissociating
• loosening
• divorcing
• uncoupling
• breaking up
• sundering
• loosing
• disjoining
• disjointing
• disuniting
• unlinking
• dissevering
• untying
• unyoking
• unbinding
• unfixing
• unlashing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bending

Verb

The two-time Emmy winner penned 10 episodes of Vince Gilligan’s landmark crime series before staying with Sony/AMC to shepherd four seasons of the genre-bending Preacher. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026

Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s appearance in the Royal Box is another example of bending the rules, as typically, children aren’t permitted in the exclusive seating area. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 12 July 2026

Traditional scrubbing usually involves bending at the waist or kneeling inside of a hard tub, which can be uncomfortable or downright impossible. — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026

The say the allegations are unsubstantiated and bending to the administration would allow the federal government to dictate the governance of higher education at the Ivy League university, setting a precedent for other universities to follow. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026

But the obvious choice here is Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral in the round of 32, bending a shot from the left side into the upper-right corner to tie mighty Argentina 2-2 in extra time. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Place the hands on the floor in front of the feet, bending the knees softly if needed. — Mallory Creveling, Health, 9 July 2026

The building, which fell into focus Tuesday after officials say columns were bending and floors were sagging, still must undergo work in order to be fully safe. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Leandro Trossard got the assist, bending a perfect back-post cross from the end line to his waiting teammate. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026