LEANINGS Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

leanings

noun

plural of leaning

as in tendencies

a prevailing or general movement or inclination the news media are often accused of having liberal leanings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in inclinations

a habitual attraction to some activity or thing despite what his athletic leanings might suggest, he was actually a very lazy kid

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 leanings Heinrich is among the correspondents at Fox News — which this week will mark 30 years on the air — whose reporting doesn’t adhere to the leanings of its opinion hosts and commentators. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Supporters of the plan, led by the Swiss People's Party, which includes members with pro-Russia leanings, argued that the government had gravitated too close to the European Union and NATO, particularly over Russia's war in Ukraine. — Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026 But, Barrera and Shaw, who registered the highest vote percentages in a crowded primary, have polar opposite political leanings and very different priorities for the state schools role. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Just look at Lily-Rose Depp and Charli XCX, who both incorporated the decade’s maximalist leanings into their wardrobes in authentic ways. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026 States’ classroom lessons don’t always map neatly with their political leanings. — Jennifer Peltz, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 Cabrera’s abstract leanings, which differed from nationalist motifs then popular with Mexican muralists, drew her closer to the Generación de la Ruptura movement of artists, beginning in the 1950s. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 It was reinforced by Washington’s alliance with Pakistan and its engagement with China during the Cold War, India’s socialist leanings in the decades after its independence, in 1947, and New Delhi’s close relationship with the Soviet Union. — C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026 Hook's more partisan leanings are mostly limited to his social media posts. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leanings

Noun

Throughout the panel, the cast was playful and self-aware about the show’s gonzo tendencies, especially 13 seasons in.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
At Community Table, executive chef Marcell Davidsen brings an understated Nordic sensibility to the area’s locavore tendencies.

— Christina Pérez, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of tendencies

Noun

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, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of inclinations

Noun

Astronomers like to look at large populations of objects because bigger sample sizes should better reveal trends in their properties.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
The technological infrastructure appears at the same time as changes in macroeconomic and consumer trends in the luxury apparel industry, and demand for made-to-order clothing remains due to an increasing emphasis on longevity and value.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of trends

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

Related Articles After three straight years of organic sales losses, the company returned to the right side of the balance sheet, reporting increases in both net sales and profitability and clearly signaling a turning of the tides.

— Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Calvin’s eager-to-please son, Wade (Charlie Heaton), watches his captain fall prey to unnaturally turning tides.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of tides

Noun

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
The looks were presented in pairs to highlight affinities, variations and visual echoes that reflect the designers’ methodology and approach rooted in the principle of duality.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of affinities

Noun

In keeping with the film‘s maximalist vibe, the noise around it keeps whipsawing in different directions, with defenders calling it a misunderstood masterpiece and detractors equally fervent in calling it a complete artistic disaster.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
Also back here is a dual-pattern power supply mount with two captive screws that serve one of the two supported mounting directions.

— Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026