inclined
Americanadjective
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deviating in direction from the horizontal or vertical; sloping.
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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
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having a disposition; tending
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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.
Since investors in SPVs aren’t actually recognized as directly holding a stake in the underlying startups, the private companies also aren’t inclined to provide them with information about their businesses.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
If we really wanted to help human parents have more children, though, it might be wise to consider that we, too, are animals—creatures inclined to breed in favorable conditions, and with plenty of help.
From Slate • May 10, 2026
However, she'd be "less inclined" to pay to watch one from her bedroom, she says.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
A University of California, Berkeley, poll published in mid-March found that 52% of voters were inclined to vote “yes” on the billionaire tax, with 33% against it.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
I found him four hours after setting off, sitting on a rock by the turnoff for West Chairback Pond, head inclined to the sun as if working on his tan.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
