inclination

American  

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

noun

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

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

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”; 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

Still, he didn’t return to face his accusers, and the UAE appeared to have little inclination to extradite him, said Ahmad Hadi, 48, a physician who is Ashaal’s brother-in-law.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

While the natural inclination is to draw comparisons to the 1970s – the Yom Kippur war of 1973 and the Iranian revolution of 1979 – the strategists say they don’t quite fit.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

The point is also made that the evolution of dogs and their domestication tens of thousands of years ago may mean that they have, or have developed, an inclination toward language.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

On this week’s Amicus podcast, he explained to Dahlia Lithwick that the inclination to fetishize that which can be justified legally has a way of opening the door to atrocities that cannot be tolerated.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026

The various declination of the needle under different meridians was first discovered by Sebastian Cabbott, and its inclination to the nearer pole by our countryman Robert Norman.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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