inching 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in imperceptible

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2
as in ambling

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Dissimilar Words

inching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of inch
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inching
Verb
The middle tier of the market has been hollowed out, with prices inching higher even as brands downgrade quality. — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 So far, his scheming hasn’t been all that productive, and with Saeed inching into the case, Johnny is more likely to get benched with Molly, who’s mostly there to say lines of expository dialogue, bless her. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 The 10-year Treasury yield followed a similar path — inching higher at the start of the day before dropping on weak economic data. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 The idiosyncratic biopic makes the right choices, giving us in a sliver of time the dailiness of a working life with its gossip, money worries, and ongoing projects dwindling or cresting or inching forward. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Just as a cooldown brought relief following record-breaking October heat, temperatures will begin inching up on Wednesday, with winds continuing to pick up. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 The most frightening risk is AI creators losing control of their models, a once abstract possibility that may be inching closer to reality. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Each of those men, in his own way, is inching closer to opportunities for parole and release. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026 My first inkling that dramatic lips may be inching toward a comeback came courtesy Florence Pugh at the premiere of her new Netflix series, East of Eden. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
  1. imperceptible
  2. plodding
  3. encroaching
  4. dragging
  5. tapered
  6. lingering
  7. creeping
  8. loitering
Adjective
  • Instead, his team developed SynthID, an imperceptible, incorruptible digital watermark now stamped to anything generated by Google AI, but also OpenAI, Nvidia, Kakao, and, soon, Apple.
    — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Through a meditative duet between the performer’s cognition and their autonomic nervous system, activities that were largely imperceptible to an outside observer became known to the performer.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of imperceptible
Adjective
  • Bennie Liebenberg, a former geologist at the mine who was serving as our guide, has the plodding, slightly wide-eyed manner of someone who has spent a lot of time underground.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • During the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, activists from the gay community lambasted him and his institute for the plodding pace of research on the virus.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of plodding
Verb
  • Under California law, encroaching roots or branches that cause damage can give a property owner grounds to pursue a nuisance claim or seek compensation, depending on the circumstances.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Still, that didn’t stop the pair from giving their opinions on the encroaching role that the technology is taking on in Hollywood.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of encroaching
Verb
  • Most damage to the undersea cables that form the Internet’s backbone is the result of accidents involving bottom-trawling fishing nets and ship anchors dragging on the seabed, with storms and undersea landslides also factoring in.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
  • There’s nothing neutral about dragging your feet, and a rigorous investigation of crimes is the only job of the Justice Department.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of dragging
Adjective
  • The blending magic is in the tapered base of the container, which creates an exceptionally powerful vortex.
    — Editors of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The actress wore an ensemble from Conner Ives’ latest curation, a suited style with a cropped black jacket, maroon fabric at the waist and tapered trousers.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of tapered
Adjective
  • Shohei Ohtani returned to the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday after four days off to address lingering aches, as the club effectively pauses its pitching program for the two-way star.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • Eisenkot is viewed by supporters as a capable leader with sterling security credentials who, along with his likely governing partners, could act as a bulwark against creeping illiberalism.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Gusts of more than 60 mph are possible in parts of the Outer Banks with 40 to 50 mph gusts creeping toward the Interstate 95 corridor in North Carolina and southern Virginia.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of creeping
Adjective
  • Some victim advocates say human trafficking along Figueroa has escalated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of anti-loitering laws.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of loitering

Browse Nearby Words

inches
inching
inchmeal
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Cite this Entry

“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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