Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for inflection

inflection

especially British, in·flex·ion

[in-flek-shuhn]

noun

  1. modulation of the voice; change in pitch or tone of voice.

  2. Grammar.,  Also

    1. the process or device of adding affixes to or changing the shape of a base to give it a different syntactic function without changing its form class.

    2. the paradigm of a word.

    3. a single pattern of formation of a paradigm.

      noun inflection; verb inflection.

    4. the change in the shape of a word, generally by affixation, by means of which a change of meaning or relationship to some other word or group of words is indicated.

    5. the affix added to produce this change, as the -s in dogs or the -ed in played.

    6. the systematic description of such processes in a given language, as in serves from serve, sings from sing, and harder from hard (derivation ).

  3. a bend or angle.

  4. Mathematics.,  a change of curvature from convex to concave or vice versa.



inflection

/ ɪnˈflɛkʃən /

noun

  1. modulation of the voice

  2. (grammar) a change in the form of a word, usually modification or affixation, signalling change in such grammatical functions as tense, voice, mood, person, gender, number, or case

  3. an angle or bend

  4. the act of inflecting or the state of being inflected

  5. maths a change in curvature from concave to convex or vice versa See also point of inflection

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

inflection

  1. A change in the form of a word to reflect different grammatical functions of the word in a sentence. English has lost most of its inflections. Those that remain are chiefly possessive ('s), as in “the boy's hat”; plural (-s), as in “the three girls”; and past tense (-d or -ed), as in cared. Other inflections are found in pronouns — as in he, him, his — and in irregular words such as think/thought, child/children, and mouse/mice.

Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • inflectionless adjective
  • preinflection noun
  • inflectional adjective
  • inflectionally adverb
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of inflection1

1525–35; variant spelling of inflexion < Latin inflexiōn- (stem of inflexiō ) a bending. See inflect, -ion
Discover More

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.

Innovations to make homes more energy-efficient have reached an inflection point in capability and affordability.

The arrival of commercially viable songs made almost entirely with AI marks an inflection point for the music industry, and it has set off heated debates.

Because innovations to make homes more energy-efficient have reached an inflection point in capability and affordability.

Autonomous-driving technology is approaching a demand inflection point, they say, with robotaxis moving into early commercialization and robotics showing signs of initial mass production.

Discovery auction as a consequential inflection point for the industry.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


inflectinflectional