inclinations

noun

plural of inclination
1
as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing her natural inclination to help people in need

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tilts
the act of positioning or an instance of being positioned at an angle the photographer adjusted the inclination of the sitter's head

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in inclines
the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon the inclination of the hill is gentle, so walking up it isn't too bad

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 inclinations In 1860, Muybridge was thrown from a carriage, resulting in a head injury that radically changed his personality and possibly heightened his artistic inclinations. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 And a lot of the time, people who have these kinds of inclinations towards children are people who were children who were abused themselves. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026 The trustees feared that if something happened to him, his heir apparent, Robert Kahn, would replace him, and it was known that Kahn had Zionistic inclinations. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 Hailey detailed their son’s sporty inclinations while appearing on the Therapuss podcast in February 2026. — Emma Banks, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026 Putin will eventually leave office, whether by death, illness, or—against all observable inclinations—stepping aside. — Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026 People with gene variants that affect these inclinations may also be at a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes, researchers found. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 28 July 2026 Half the tracks skate along atop grooves informed by house and UK garage, reflecting Hebden’s clubbiest inclinations as well as his idiosyncratic sound design. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026 The solution Ciufolini proposed decades ago while working with physicist John Archibald Wheeler was to use two satellites in supplementary orbits, meaning with orbital inclinations that sum to 180 degrees. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inclinations
  1. tendencies
  2. tilts
  3. inclines
  4. aptitudes
  5. tips
  6. slopes
  7. affinities
  8. bends
Noun
  • Good and bad tendencies overlap and swirl — the Gators, a new property every week.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Shultz claims Holmes spotted Balwani’s abusive tendencies and clocked him as the perfect fall guy if things went south.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tendencies
Noun
  • Sanders’ record over his last 16 tilts against Power 4 foes is … 3-13.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Rybakina and Sabalenka know each other’s games well, having previously met 17 times on the WTA Tour, with Rybakina winning the last two tilts – earning the Australian Open and WTA Finals titles.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of tilts
Noun
  • The hiking area is extremely dangerous and known for steep inclines, loose gravel and falling rocks, according to the Italian Alpine Rescue unit, which told CNN that more than 80 people died in the Dolomites in 2026 so far.
    — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Lemmo With this kind of kit, the Lemmo 3 should be up to the task of tackling steep inclines and all manner of rough terrain.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of inclines
Noun
  • For this class, the premise is that your purpose in life lies to the intersection of your values, your aptitudes and your interests.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 6 May 2026
  • This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.
    — GRACIA LIU-FARRER, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
Definition of aptitudes
Noun
  • The bill delivered no tax on tips or overtime pay, and tax relief for seniors.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The two designers have launched a collaboration featuring 18-karat yellow gold and diamond button studs and collar tips created for Savas’ signature Allen denim shirt, bringing together fine jewelry craftsmanship and American workwear.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of tips
Noun
  • Highlights include the verdant jungle at Cap Cana, the lush volcanic slopes above Saint-Pierre in Martinique, and the coral gardens off Kralendijk in Bonaire.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
  • From shredding the slopes in the winter to floating on the water in the summer, the unofficial capital of the Sierra Nevada sees outdoorsy travelers constantly flocking to its campsites and cabins.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of slopes
Noun
  • Beyond Carrington and Vicuña’s stylistic affinities, Lehmann and Norris pointed out how the reception of the artists’ work has changed over the decades and that both have only been canonized relatively recently.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • With its affinities for isolation and, at times, imposing scale, Land art conjures archaeology and the geological sublime—vast expanses of space and time.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of affinities
Noun
  • Over the approximately three-hour running time, The One About draws on tales of drunken nights, funny faces, and the rise, demands, and bends of fame.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Brewers bullpen – perhaps their biggest strength relative to an incredibly similar Rays’ club – bends but does not break.
    — Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of bends

Browse Nearby Words

inclination
inclinations
incline
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inclinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inclinations. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of satiate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 SCRABBLE Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All