bent 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of bentnext
chiefly British
as in crooked
given to or marked by cheating and deception the drug dealer knew which of the cops were bent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bent

2 of 3

noun

ˈbent How to pronounce bent (audio)
1
as in tendency
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing the perfect gift for a person of a literary bent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knack
a special and usually inborn ability having a decided bent for languages, he picked up Italian in no time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bent

3 of 3

verb

past tense of bend
1
as in arched
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devoted
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention bent herself to the task for the rest of the day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aimed
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal bent all of his efforts toward making his first documentary film

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in curved
to turn away from a straight line or course the stream bends slightly to the east

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in distorted
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in attached
to cause (something) to hold to another bend a leash to the dog's collar

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun bent differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bent are aptitude, faculty, genius, gift, knack, and talent. While all these words mean "a special ability for doing something," bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

When would aptitude be a good substitute for bent?

While the synonyms aptitude and bent are close in meaning, aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

When is faculty a more appropriate choice than bent?

The synonyms faculty and bent are sometimes interchangeable, but faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

In what contexts can genius take the place of bent?

Although the words genius and bent have much in common, genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

When might gift be a better fit than bent?

The words gift and bent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

Where would knack be a reasonable alternative to bent?

In some situations, the words knack and bent are roughly equivalent. However, knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

When is it sensible to use talent instead of bent?

The meanings of talent and bent largely overlap; however, talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bent
Adjective
In some of the photos, Lester and Wolpert had their heads bent toward each other, with the Four Seasons actress' hands resting gently on her partner's face. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 Delane’s knees are bent, his hips are loose and his eyes are absolutely fixed on the receiver’s hips. —Jesse Newell, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Noun
There is, perhaps, an anti-imperialist bent to this. —Jack Lang, New York Times, 11 June 2026 Some will cut more deeply for soccer fans of a literary bent; others can be savored no matter what your feelings about the beautiful game might be. —Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Verb
Scenes bent slightly in the hands of chemistry, particularly with her co-star Lindsey Normington, who plays Rose. —Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026 The tall, dark-haired son bent over to bury his face in his mother's hair. —ABC News, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for bent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bent
  1. crooked
  2. tendency
  3. knack
  4. arched
  5. devoted
  6. aimed
  7. curved
  8. distorted
Adjective
  • Trump walks out on Kristen Welker after calling NBC 'crooked' in fiery clash.
    — , FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
  • Babs, its crooked union leader protagonist, is said to be after Don Corleone.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 June 2026
Definition of crooked
Noun
  • Still, millennials are steeped in therapy culture, and there is a tendency to blame parents for a child’s pain.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
  • The best mattress-in-a-box for you has more to do with your body, sleeping position, tendency to run cool or hot, and other factors, not price.
    — Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 10 Dec. 2025
Definition of tendency
Noun
  • Now, Musiala is 23 and one of the best young players in the world, an attacking midfielder who’s a magician with the ball at his feet, who also has a knack for finding the back of the net.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 June 2026
  • More than any other character he’s created, Stallone has an uncanny knack for knowing what makes Rocky, and the characters that orbit him, really tick.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Definition of knack
Verb
  • And the floor at the top is gently arched, which is pretty cool.
    — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 31 May 2026
  • Iceland emerged much later when a plume of unusually hot mantle rock arched the ridge up above the gathering waves.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 May 2026
Definition of arched
Verb
  • And with Father’s Day approaching on June 21, the department store devoted the windows at its 59th Street flagship on Wednesday to the brand and its Summers at Play campaign.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
  • After losing his re-election campaign in a three-way race, President Bush devoted much of the rest of his life to charitable endeavors.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Definition of devoted
Verb
  • World’s first 16-ton drone mothership People’s Daily reported that the Jetank platform is designed to strengthen China’s low-altitude economy, a government initiative aimed at expanding civilian air services and accelerating innovation along the aviation industrial chain.
    — Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Dec. 2025
  • The Post has been aggressive in 2025 in debuting several new products aimed at improving the company’s tech offerings and reaching new audiences, including Ask The Post AI, an in-app Watch tab, and Ripple, the paper’s news aggregator.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Definition of aimed
Verb
  • Mechanical design shift Traditional stellarators require complex, curved three-dimensional magnetic coils to contain plasma.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026
  • Map an Outline A cut lawn edge can be curved or straight.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2026
Definition of curved
Verb
  • Conservatives cannot allow our discourse to be distorted by manipulative foreign amplification.
    — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
  • The quality of my work varied; sometimes, in my desperation to document, to fill in all the archival gaps, to address what was unknown or distorted, the telling would suffer.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Definition of distorted

Phrases Containing bent

Browse Nearby Words

benisons
bent
benthic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bent. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bent

Nglish: Translation of bent for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of acquiesce

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

8 Obscure Words for Sleepy Times

Cattywampus, Taradiddle, and More Funny-Sounding Words

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

8 Obscure Words for Sleepy Times
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All