inflect

[ in-flekt ]
See synonyms for inflect on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to alter, adapt, or modulate (the voice).

  2. to alter or adapt in tone or character: the power of storytelling inflected through a feminist sensibility; jazz-inflected music.

  1. Grammar.

    • to apply inflection to (a word).

    • to recite or display all or a distinct set of the inflections of (a word); decline or conjugate.

  2. to bend; turn from a direct line or course.

  3. Botany. to bend in.

verb (used without object)
  1. Grammar. to be characterized by inflection.

Origin of inflect

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English inflecten, from Latin inflectere “to bend in,” equivalent to in-in-2 + flectere “to bend, curve”; cf. flex1

Other words from inflect

  • in·flect·ed·ness, noun
  • in·flec·tive, adjective
  • in·flec·tor, noun
  • non·in·flect·ed, adjective
  • un·in·flect·ed, adjective
  • un·in·flec·tive, adjective

Words Nearby inflect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use inflect in a sentence

  • Can you so inflect "sprawling in want" and "sitting high" as to suggest a swamp and a mountain-top, or a frog and an angel?

    Vocal Expression | Katherine Jewell Everts
  • Query to the class: How did the lady inflect the word Yes to call forth the injunction, Read it again?

    Vocal Expression | Katherine Jewell Everts

British Dictionary definitions for inflect

inflect

/ (ɪnˈflɛkt) /


verb
  1. (grammar) to change (the form of a word) or (of a word) to change in form by inflection

  2. (tr) to change (the voice) in tone or pitch; modulate

  1. (tr) to cause to deviate from a straight or normal line or course; bend

Origin of inflect

1
C15: from Latin inflectere to curve round, alter, from flectere to bend

Derived forms of inflect

  • inflectedness, noun
  • inflective, adjective
  • inflector, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012