inclined
Americanadjective
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deviating in direction from the horizontal or vertical; sloping.
-
disposed; of a mind (usually followed byto ).
He was inclined to stay.
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having a physical tendency; leaning.
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tending in a direction that makes an angle with anything else.
adjective
-
having a disposition; tending
-
sloping or slanting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inclined
First recorded in 1350–1400, inclined is from the Middle English word enclyned. See incline, -ed 2
Explanation
If you're inclined to do something, you want to do it, you like doing it, and you may even have an inherent talent for doing it. Alternatively, if the sidewalk outside your house is inclined, that means it slopes upward. Inclined means that you're likely to do something, you're leaning toward doing it, or you do it habitually. If you're inclined to eat too much at Thanksgiving, you're not alone. If you're inclined to want to join the Iditarod dog sled race, get a warm jacket. Inclined can also be an adjective describing something that's at an angle. If a ramp is inclined, it's on a slant, sloping up toward something else.
Vocabulary lists containing inclined
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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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.
Ben Okri’s foreword to “The Inheritors” is evocative but diffuse; Marlon James, writing on “Pincher Martin,” is inclined to impose his own rhetorical energy on the text.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Schwartz at Nomura said he thinks Warsh is more inclined toward lower rates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Some fans might even call Black Flag Resynced a love letter to the original, though more cynical gamers may be inclined to call it a cash grab.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The plants are inclined to bloom out of sequence, “because they want to pollinate another plant that’s in the vicinity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The road up Coalwood Mountain turned through one steeply inclined switchback after another.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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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.