1
as in tendencies
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the news media are often accused of having liberal leanings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
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 London-via-Paris jazz artist embraces her neo-soul leanings and experimental impulses on an EP that explores the pleasures and perils of gassing yourself up.
—
Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026
That nothing is known or stated about this particular President is another intentional gap; while the Commander-in-chief’s party leanings have always had radical impact on domestic policy, the Middle East tends to be bombed regardless of who’s in charge (albeit to different degrees).
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Glimpses of some political leanings came in 2011 and 2020 interviews with La Garganta Poderosa, an Argentine magazine on the left.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
On October 14, the Bureau sent the assistant attorney general an eight-paragraph précis of the poet’s life, work, and political leanings.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Their political leanings aligned, both on the left.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Every corporate decision is now scrutinized under a public lens, as customers, the government, and the general public debate and dissect the political leanings of a leader or firm.
—Emily Lang, Harvard Business Review, 26 Feb. 2026
Some attributed the federal attention to Lawrence’s liberal political leanings.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Crooks appeared to have acted alone and did not belong to any particular political leanings.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026
That nothing is known or stated about this particular President is another intentional gap; while the Commander-in-chief’s party leanings have always had radical impact on domestic policy, the Middle East tends to be bombed regardless of who’s in charge (albeit to different degrees).
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Glimpses of some political leanings came in 2011 and 2020 interviews with La Garganta Poderosa, an Argentine magazine on the left.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
On October 14, the Bureau sent the assistant attorney general an eight-paragraph précis of the poet’s life, work, and political leanings.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Their political leanings aligned, both on the left.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Every corporate decision is now scrutinized under a public lens, as customers, the government, and the general public debate and dissect the political leanings of a leader or firm.
—Emily Lang, Harvard Business Review, 26 Feb. 2026
Some attributed the federal attention to Lawrence’s liberal political leanings.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Crooks appeared to have acted alone and did not belong to any particular political leanings.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leanings
Noun
-
The film noir tackles the corruptive tendencies of power, with Broderick Crawford as a populist politician who rises up as a Southern governor and wields dangerous influence.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Like most of us, FIG shed its more rebellious tendencies over time.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is the standard for ramp inclinations that are usable for most people, especially wheelchair users.—
K. Desbouis,
Artforum,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Trump’s inclinations to make every race about him could foul this for the GOP.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Below, the top bag trends in street style for the fall 2026 season.—
Irene Kim,
Vogue,
22 Mar. 2026
-
As Glamour has previously noted, ankle jeans have been on a bit of a come-down as puddle hems dominate spring 2026 denim trends, but any shoe girl knows that ankle jeans are often the best way to show off the look's star accessory.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
More money is apt to make homeschooling worse and far less tailored to the individual student and their interests and aptitudes by encouraging parents to substitute pricey group programs for the requisite effort of individualized instruction.—
Marie Sapirie,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This is when Audrey Saunders turned back the tides of time.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The solution was to break the problem down, considering each neutron star individually, and its companion as just a source of gravitational tides.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Players have to create teams that exploit a boss’ weakness in order to defeat them, and that means building up characters that have the right elemental affinities.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The driving rock guitars and layered vocal textures recall TV on the Radio’s experimentation, and Galanin shares certain vocal and political affinities with Moses Sumney.—
Petala Ironcloud,
Pitchfork,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The robot is expected to help visitors navigate the airport more easily by providing directions, terminal updates, and travel information in multiple languages.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Both players looked their parts in position drills, moving in spacing and changing directions.—
Mike Kaye
March 24,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leanings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leanings. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
