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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of inching
Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
So yes, the Cavaliers are inching closer to shedding those mentally and physically soft labels.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Those two strong responders saw their HIV drop to undetectable levels, inching up only occasionally when the CAR-T cells presumably got to work again.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Car loan rates, too, have been inching downward.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The English-speaking country saw a record number of visitors in 2025 and will host the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference for the first time in 2026—two signs that its remote rainforests are inching toward the spotlight.
—Carla Vianna, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
One company has been diligently working on something like that and claims to be inching ever closer.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Australia’s nuclear-submarine acquisition plan is inching a step closer to reality with the United States’ new contract.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The woman in the driver's seat of the truck appeared to be having a seizure and the truck kept inching toward the intersection of Tulip and Hellerman streets.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Visa, Mastercard, and Citi are inching toward genuinely open positions in Chinese payments and banking.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
So yes, the Cavaliers are inching closer to shedding those mentally and physically soft labels.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Those two strong responders saw their HIV drop to undetectable levels, inching up only occasionally when the CAR-T cells presumably got to work again.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Car loan rates, too, have been inching downward.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The English-speaking country saw a record number of visitors in 2025 and will host the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference for the first time in 2026—two signs that its remote rainforests are inching toward the spotlight.
—Carla Vianna, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
One company has been diligently working on something like that and claims to be inching ever closer.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Australia’s nuclear-submarine acquisition plan is inching a step closer to reality with the United States’ new contract.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The woman in the driver's seat of the truck appeared to be having a seizure and the truck kept inching toward the intersection of Tulip and Hellerman streets.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
Adjective
-
All videos created with Omni will include Google's imperceptible digital watermark, SynthID, but Google is also adding content credentials verification to the Gemini app.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
Of course, part of the challenge was the outward invisibility of all the changes—to anyone who had not been at sea, my new life was imperceptible.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Others seemed more offended by the idea of the federal government encroaching on local control.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
The current rendering shows 7,200 square feet allocated to four courts, encroaching on open beach space that could be available to beachgoers and picnickers.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The uncanny vision is made even eerier when Hoop spots her late mother dragging her five children through the human tide.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
19 May 2026
-
The complaint states that Sorsby only has until June 22 to make a decision regarding the NFL Supplemental Draft, and the NCAA is dragging its feet in this process.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Neither is known for having much of an off-the-dribble game that could hurt the plodding Porzingis or Horford.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
His jogging gait is a bit plodding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Inflation rates are creeping above average wage increases, and could stay there until the situation in Iran is resolved.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
For people with creeping cholesterol levels, a healthier diet can go a long way.—
Gavin Escott,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
These 100-percent linen pants have practical front panel pockets for holding small essentials, and shoppers praised the tapered design and ankle-length cut that work well on petite frames.—
Destinee Scott,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2026
-
The dresser has a classic silhouette with minimalist details like tapered legs and oiled hardware, and the mirror doubles as a vanity.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
17 May 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
-
Amazon won a court order to block the AI-agents from crawling its sites in March.—
Michelle Castillo,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
Sacramento County health inspectors closed four restaurants this week, including Carmichael’s Royal Cuisine, where a live nymph cockroach was found crawling on the salt and pepper shakers.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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