inclining

in·cline

 (ĭn-klīn′)

v. in·clined, in·clin·ing, in·clines

v.tr.

1. To cause (someone) to have a certain tendency: dispose: "His active, daring temperament little inclined him to patient, quiet study" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).

2. To dispose (someone) to have a certain preference or opinion or to take a course of action: I'm inclined to agree with you. Are you inclined to go to out tonight?

3. To cause to lean, slant, or slope: "Galileo ... inclined the plane and rolled brass balls down it" (George Johnson). See Synonyms at slant.

4. To bend or lower in a nod or bow: I inclined my head in acquiescence.

v.intr.

1. To be disposed to a certain preference, opinion, or course of action: Some researchers incline toward a different view of the problem.

2. To deviate from the horizontal or vertical; slant: When the path inclined steeply, it became difficult to continue hiking.

3. To lower or bend the head or body, as in a nod or bow.

n. (ĭn′klīn′)

An inclined surface; a slope or gradient: The car rolled down the incline.

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[Middle English enclinen, from Old French encliner, from Latin inclīnāre : in-, into, toward; see in-² + -clīnāre, to lean; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]

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in·clin′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

inclining - the act of inclining; bending forward; "an inclination of his head indicated his agreement" inclination movement, motility, motion, move - a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility" bob - a short abrupt inclination (as of the head); "he gave me a short bob of acknowledgement" nod - the act of nodding the head stoop - an inclination of the top half of the body forward and downward

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