acclivity
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of acclivity
1605–15; < Latin acclīvitās, equivalent to acclīv ( is ) steep ( ac- ac- + -clīvis, adj. derivative of clīvus slope) + -itās -ity
Explanation
An acclivity might be something to dread if you ride a bike a lot. An acclivity is an uphill slope, so you’ll have to pedal a little harder to get to the top. The word acclivity traces back to the Latin word acclivis, meaning “ascending,” which is a combination of ad-, meaning “toward,” and clivus, meaning “slope.” If you encounter an acclivity, it’s going to be all uphill until you get to the top. The opposite of an acclivity is a declivity, which has a similar Latin origin. In the case of declivity, it’s the de- prefix, meaning “down,” that moves things in the opposite direction and gives it the meaning of “downhill slope.”
Vocabulary lists containing acclivity
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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"A Horseman in the Sky" by Ambrose Bierce
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The Return of the Native
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The road running up the steep acclivity was of no great width—nothing resembling the broad macadamised “turnpike” of modern times.
From The White Gauntlet by Reid, Mayne
Then the acclivity ends, and surmounting the roll of its brow a great flat wooded space, with here and there the distant hump of a mountain jutting against the sky, lies spread out in front.
From Fordham's Feud by Mitford, Bertram
Here and there, as the horses go more slowly up a gentle acclivity, you turn round to reconnoitre a little, and find that there is a charming view behind.
From Notable Women Authors of the Day Biographical Sketches by Black, Helen C.
From the ridge of this acclivity we could watch the cloud shadows, violet and purple, sweeping over wide moors, and by their subtle contrasts bringing out the soft shimmering of the distant sunlight.
From The Further Adventures of O'Neill in Holland by Brown, J. Irwin
In the rear was a narrow pass, with a steep acclivity on either side.
From Legends of The Kaw The Folk-Lore of the Indians of the Kansas River Valley by Voe, Carrie de
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
