inclement
Americanadjective
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(of the weather, the elements, etc.) severe, rough, or harsh; stormy.
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not kind or merciful.
adjective
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(of weather) stormy, severe, or tempestuous
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harsh, severe, or merciless
Other Word Forms
- inclemency noun
- inclemently adverb
- inclementness noun
Etymology
Origin of inclement
1615–25; < Latin inclēment-, equivalent to in- in- 3 + clēment- (stem of clēmēns ) clement
Explanation
Inclement usually refers to severe or harsh weather that is cold and wet. When packing for a trip to the Caribbean bring tank tops and shorts, but don't forget a raincoat in case of inclement weather. This adjective can also refer to a person or action that is harsh and unmerciful. Inclement is from a Latin root formed from the prefix in- "not" plus clemens "clement." This English adjective clement can mean either mild or merciful; the more commonly used noun clemency can mean mildness or mercy.
Vocabulary lists containing inclement
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 11, List 4
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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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.
To avoid our planet’s environmental inconveniences, the stilts can rise above any inclement weather.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
The spring homebuying season faces a sluggish start due to higher mortgage rates, inclement weather, and 6.7% fewer new listings.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Rescuers, stymied by inclement weather, so far have located the bodies of seven women and a man killed in the avalanche.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
USC should be used to the inclement weather by now.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
It was something San Piedro prided itself on, the fact that its men had the courage to fish alone even in inclement weather.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
