1
as in imperceptible
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2
as in ambling
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in encroaching
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
every year the water inches further up the embankments, threatening to permanently engulf the island city
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in dragging
to move slowly
the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway
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Recent Examples of inching
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The video, posted on TikTok by Austin Realtor Matthew Turnage, shows the Waymo blocking the street with the ambulance inching closer.
—Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
This new skin-tint-meets-balm from IT Cosmetics has quickly become a staple in my routine, especially as a woman inching closer to her 40s.
—Sara Tan, Allure, 27 Feb. 2026
Using drone surveys to map the forest canopy, the team tested how views might shift if certain trees were felled, inching toward a location that felt both deliberate and deferential to the land.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
With the 2026 growing season inching ever closer, now is an excellent time of year for vegetable gardeners to reacquaint themselves with the essential piece to their successful production upon which every other facet of their garden success is built.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
That, Farah said, is the powerful differentiator between those who feel stuck and those who keep inching forward.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
More than a quarter-million Massachusetts residents are without power, with that cold count finally inching down!
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
From there, the game settled into a tight, back-and-forth rhythm, with Atlanta inching ahead 89-87 entering the fourth.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
Verb
Still, this most recent slump was inching this team closer to the annals of franchise infamy.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The video, posted on TikTok by Austin Realtor Matthew Turnage, shows the Waymo blocking the street with the ambulance inching closer.
—Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
This new skin-tint-meets-balm from IT Cosmetics has quickly become a staple in my routine, especially as a woman inching closer to her 40s.
—Sara Tan, Allure, 27 Feb. 2026
Using drone surveys to map the forest canopy, the team tested how views might shift if certain trees were felled, inching toward a location that felt both deliberate and deferential to the land.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
With the 2026 growing season inching ever closer, now is an excellent time of year for vegetable gardeners to reacquaint themselves with the essential piece to their successful production upon which every other facet of their garden success is built.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
That, Farah said, is the powerful differentiator between those who feel stuck and those who keep inching forward.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
More than a quarter-million Massachusetts residents are without power, with that cold count finally inching down!
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
From there, the game settled into a tight, back-and-forth rhythm, with Atlanta inching ahead 89-87 entering the fourth.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
Adjective
-
The film casually reinforces its point here that women of the period had few good options, but the scenes also reveal the almost imperceptible development of mutual fondness between husband and wife.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The almost imperceptible pigment is an immediate boost of pore- and fine line-blurring prowess.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These insects are still evolving, and humans are increasingly encroaching on wild areas—more mosquitoes could continue to adapt to prefer feasting on us over other animals.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Residents have raised concerns about the centers encroaching on their rural lifestyles.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Based on the 1928 original, the watch features a solid gold dial with an aperture that displays jumping hours at 12 o’clock and a secondary aperture that shows dragging minutes.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Videos posted to social media taken by witnesses show law enforcement putting people in handcuffs, and some show agents tackling people to the ground and dragging them.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Where the film falters is in its plodding rhythm and clunky dialogue, much of which is delivered too flatly by actors who don’t exactly steal their scenes.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
-
At a plodding pace, the desert wilderness can be admired in all its granular splendor.—
Anna Zacharias,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That later Presidents did indeed engage in military action without consulting Congress, creeping on to a power reserved for the legislature, is a fact of the past century and a half of American history but especially since the rise of the national-security state during the Cold War.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
-
In full sun or partial shade and well-draining soil, creeping thyme puts on a show, with small flowers covering the ground like a colorful carpet.—
Jamie McIntosh,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Available in regular, short, and long sizes, the tapered, wide-leg style creates a leg-lengthening illusion, and the high pocket placements in the back are butt-boosting.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Markle’s tapered trousers featured a front crease and a wide-leg silhouette.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Thomas missed 57 games last season, mostly because of the same lingering left hamstring issue.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
On the one hand, that means that many survive the disease without serious lingering effects.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Galahadosuchus represents one of the early ancestors of that lineage, and the evolutionary path from upright sprinter to belly-crawling ambush predator is a long one.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
-
But Baba’s streets were crawling with ICE proxies during his entire childhood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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