inclination

American  

[in-kluh-ney-shuhn] / ˌɪn kləˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

inclinations plural

1. a disposition or bent, especially of the mind or will; a liking or preference.

   Much against his inclination, he was forced to resign.

   Synonyms:

   penchant, predisposition, predilection, proclivity, propensity, tendency, leaning

   Antonyms:

   dislike

2. something to which one is inclined.

   In sports his inclination is tennis.

3. the act of inclining; state of being inclined.

4. a tendency toward a certain condition, action, etc..

   the door's inclination to stick.

5. deviation or amount of deviation from a normal, especially horizontal or vertical, direction or position.

   Synonyms:

   pitch, grade, fall, rise, slant, slope

6. an inclined surface.

   Synonyms:

   ramp, pitch, grade, fall, rise, slant, slope

7. Geometry.

   1. the angle between two lines or two planes.

   2. the angle formed by the x-axis and a given line.

8. Astronomy.

   1. the angle between the orbital plane of a planet and another given plane, usually the ecliptic.

   2. the angle between the equatorial and orbital planes of a planet.

9. Magnetism. dip.

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inclination British  

/ ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. a particular disposition, esp a liking or preference; tendency

   I've no inclination for such dull work

2. the degree of deviation from a particular plane, esp a horizontal or vertical plane

3. a sloping or slanting surface; incline

4. the act of inclining or the state of being inclined

5. the act of bowing or nodding the head

6. maths

   1. the angle between a line on a graph and the positive limb of the x- axis

   2. the smaller dihedral angle between one plane and another

7. astronomy the angle between the plane of the orbit of a planet or comet and another plane, usually that of the ecliptic

8. physics another name for dip

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inclination Scientific  

/ ĭn′klə-nā′shən /

1. A deviation or the degree of deviation from the horizontal or vertical.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noninclination
  noun
• overinclination
  noun
• superinclination
  noun
• inclinational
  adjective
• noninclinational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inclinations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of inclination

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English inclinacioun, from Latin inclīnātiōn-, stem of inclīnātiō, from inclīnāt(us) “caused to bend” (past participle of inclīnāre “to cause to bend”; see incline) + -iō -ion

Explanation

You can see the word "incline" inside inclination, which clues you in to the fact that inclination has to do with leaning. Sometimes the inclination is literal; in most cases it's about what you incline toward in a figurative sense. An inclination is something you are leaning toward, a tendency you have. You could have a specific inclination for chocolate, or you could have an inclination that applies to a decision you are about to make: "Looking at this dessert menu, my inclination is to skip everything and just go home and have a chocolate bar."

Example Sentences

Shadows of Spielberg’s filmography loom large over “Disclosure Day”: the inclination to revisit and fictionalize childhood from “The Fabelmans,” the tests of empathy in “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” and, of course, all the aliens.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

I call the inclination to stay close to home “amusement park syndrome,” because people will drive long distances to go on roller-coasters but refuse to drive to another city to see a superior physician.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

Even then, I understood that the sedulous life and inclination of the archaeologist were ill-suited to movie-spy suavity.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Wawrinka was not one of those, and may well not have been the same player had he tried to suppress a natural inclination to enjoy the company of others from time to time.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

I learned that they can’t help but gather up in a horde, and the dead are never lonely, that their natural inclination is to have a lot of friends.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• affection
• appetite
• aptitude
• bias
• capability
• desire
• disposition
• impulse
• leaning
• penchant
• predilection
• predisposition
• preference
• prejudice
• proclivity
• propensity
• temperament