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

Relevance

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 The show’s conservative leanings have become harder and harder to stomach amid the rise of MAGA — cast members’ donation histories are easier to ignore than their likes on wildly transphobic posts. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026 These records deviated from Deerhunter’s shoegaze and krautrock leanings, placing a greater emphasis on sampling and wall-of-sound pop. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026 Religious and political labels Data brokers have also inferred people's religious interests and political leanings. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 The brasserie has Provençal leanings evident in a few of the menu’s flourishes—crisp triangular panisses with a garlicky aioli, a pinky-peach sauce algérienne for dipping your fries. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026 Some might not value the kinds of criticisms leveled by attorneys, while others are more interested in trying to discern a judge’s bias or political leanings. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leanings

Noun

The questionnaires typically ask about overall personality tendencies, and so cover a very long time period.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
From Fulton Market to Lincoln Park to Woodlawn, these six new projects — now in progress or under construction — show some new tendencies in the Chicago tall building.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of tendencies

Noun

Meanwhile, the electorate’s broad inclinations were plainly if not precisely depicted.

— W Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
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

Definition of inclinations

Noun

Luckily, some of the season’s best new trends and classic styles are on sale right now on Amazon.

— Kate Donovan, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2026
While trends like these can shift perceptions of beauty and create new aesthetic anxieties, Payne argues that ferritin face also encourages consumers to approach beauty more holistically.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 6 Nov. 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

In other climate news Record hot ocean temperatures, higher-than-normal tides and powerful storms could converge amid a potentially historic El Niño.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Rising tides will bring water and waves farther up the beach than normal, restricting escape from beaches and coastal areas.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of tides

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

Subscribers must order at least two meal kits per week from a rotating menu featuring dozens of recipes with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step directions.

— Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Service on the line is back to normal in both directions, a SEPTA spokesperson said.

— CBS Philadelphia, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026