inflect

American  

[in-flekt] / ɪnˈflɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to alter, adapt, or modulate (the voice).

2. to alter or adapt in tone or character: jazz-inflected music.

   the power of storytelling inflected through a feminist sensibility;

   jazz-inflected music.

3. Grammar.

   1. to apply inflection to (a word).

   2. to recite or display all or a distinct set of the inflections of (a word); decline or conjugate.

4. to bend; turn from a direct line or course.

5. Botany. to bend in.

---

verb (used without object)

1. Grammar. to be characterized by inflection.

inflect British  

/ ɪnˈflɛkt /

verb

1. (grammar) to change (the form of a word) or (of a word) to change in form by inflection

2. (tr) to change (the voice) in tone or pitch; modulate

3. (tr) to cause to deviate from a straight or normal line or course; bend

---

Other Word Forms

• inflectedness noun
• inflective adjective
• inflector noun
• noninflected adjective
• uninflected adjective
• uninflective adjective

Etymology

Origin of inflect

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English inflecten, from Latin inflectere “to bend in,” equivalent to in- in- ² + flectere “to bend, curve”; cf. flex ¹

Explanation

To inflect is to speak in a way that reflects — and changes with — your mood. After hearing tragic news, you'll inflect what you say with the sadness you feel. The changing pitch of your voice inflects your words with meaning, and another way to inflect is to change the form of a word for grammatical reasons, including tense, number, or gender. When you inflect verbs, it's also called conjugation. For example, when you change the verb "to be" from "I am" to "we are," you inflect it. The Latin root of inflect is inflectere, "to bend," and also "to change."

Example Sentences

She added that January’s gains were broad based across demographics, and that a chaotic month for international affairs hadn’t seemed to inflect consumers’ economic views.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

The analysts said that at Sweetgreen, they expect that “store traffic will take time to inflect positively as macro pressures are likely to persist and consumer spending remains depressed, particularly among younger consumers.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 6, 2026

Bias: Value-oriented “accumulate” for patient investors; build positions gradually and be prepared for extended periods of underperformance until technicals and sentiment inflect.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025

If the two producers’ generally dissimilar sounds — Dessner leans pastoral, and Antonoff, synthetic — both inflect the record, it could be anything from folk to indie pop.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2024

The student should practice on them till he can inflect with ease and in a full sonorous voice.

From The American Union Speaker by Philbrick, John D. (John Dudley)

Related Words

• announce
• articulate
• assert
• declare
• deliver
• emphasize
• present
• proclaim
• say
• speak
• tell
• utter
• vent