as in bowing
bending downward or forward
the inclining branches of the evergreens seemed almost ready to break under the weight of the heavy snow
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tilting
to set or cause to be at an angle
carefully inclined the ladder against the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaning
to show a liking or proneness (for something)
a good restaurant for diners who incline to spicy food
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inclining
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
The trim and inclining experiment is to confirm the centre of gravity of the submarine and is measured by naval architects in both surfaced and submerged conditions.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inclining
Verb
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The Starlinks still leave streaks in telescope images, but SpaceX has, after consultations with the astronomy community, managed to reduce the satellites' brightness by using less reflective materials and tilting reflective components like solar panels away from Earth.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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The game required Kobrya to guess the price of the trip by tilting a platform with four numbers to show the correct price — either $7,359 or $9,537.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Being vocally left-leaning thus provides social status benefits and forms of self-congratulation that being conservative doesn't (if anything, in terms of the broader culture and the opinion-formulating institutions, conservatism tends to be rather lonely and something of a social liability).—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
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With Joel Embiid out, Philadelphia was leaning heavily on Andre Drummond and Adem Bona, a pair of more old-school interior anchors that Valanciunas could match up against more conveniently.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
The South by Southwest Music Festival, by comparison, is sloping downward.—
Thor Christensen,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
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The roughly 2,600-square-foot structure is set into a sloping site and enveloped in the natural landscape along a private road.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Once visited by emperors seeking clarity and samurai tending to battle wounds, these onsen remain cornerstones of Japanese culture.—
Kelsey Eisen,
Robb Report,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
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Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Inclining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inclining. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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