English Meaning & Definitions
A change in the pitch or tone of a person's voice.
- “She spoke with a slight inflection of sarcasm that made her true feelings clear.”
- “The actor used subtle inflections to convey the character's growing anxiety.”
A change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function, such as tense, mood, person, number, case, or gender.
- “Latin is a highly complex language characterized by its extensive use of noun and verb inflection.”
- “The inflection of 'go' to 'went' is an example of an irregular past tense form.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “inflection”.
Derived from the Latin 'inflectere', meaning 'to bend in'. It combines 'in-' (into/in) and 'flectere' (to bend). Historically, it referred to the physical act of bending or curving, but evolved in the 17th century to describe the modulation of the voice and the grammatical modification of words.
Think of 'in-flex-ion' as 'in-flexing' your voice—bending it up or down to show emotion.
Frequently Asked Questions About “inflection”
1. What is the meaning of “inflection” in English?
In English, inflection (noun) is defined as: “A change in the pitch or tone of a person's voice.”.
2. How do you use “inflection” in a sentence?
“She spoke with a slight inflection of sarcasm that made her true feelings clear.”
3. What are English synonyms of “inflection”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “inflection”?
Derived from the Latin 'inflectere', meaning 'to bend in'. It combines 'in-' (into/in) and 'flectere' (to bend). Historically, it referred to the physical act of bending or curving, but evolved in the 17th century to describe the modulation of the voice and the grammatical modification of words.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.