Every sentence he spoke ended in an incredibly annoying upward inflection.
Source: tatoeba (6841066)
Inflection
/ɪnˈflɛkʃən/
Synonyms for "inflection" (137 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (28)
Strong matches (41)
cuttingdeclensiondeflectionderivationdictiondifference of formdoglegelbowellencliticenunciationflectionflexflexureforkformativefree formfurcationgeanticlinegeosyncline
Show 8 more words
hairpin turnhookic analysisimmediate constituent analysisinfixinfixationintonationintonation pattern
Noun(11 words)
declinationexpress verballyform changeform setformsgrammatical endinginflected forminflected formsinflectinginflexionitalian tono
Adjective(2 words)
dutch vormgrammatical variant
Related words (68)
Noun(17 words)
kinkingliltsmodulationmorphological changemorphological featuremorphological formsmorphology changeold french formepluralizationpluralsprosodyspanish formasvizzeraverb conjugationverb formword endingword forms
Adjective(3 words)
latin formaportuguese verbsspoken signals
Determiner(1 words)
second person singular
Verb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: flection, flexion, accent, accidence, affix.
- Sentence evidence is available for inflection, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "inflection".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "inflection"
Keep "inflection" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "inflection" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "inflection", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "inflection" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
10 entriesdeliverydeparturedeviationdifferencedivergencegrammargrammatical relationmanner of speakingmorphologyspeech
More specific
6 entriescase formcase formsplural formplural formstense formtense forms
Collocations
6 entriescase inflectiongrammatical inflectioninflection rulesplural inflectionpresent tense inflectionverb inflection
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
61 translations across 43 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- eptim noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Armenian
1 entries- թեքում noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Bashkir
1 entries- килеш менән үҙгәреү noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Bulgarian
1 entries- склоне́ние noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Catalan
1 entries- flexió noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 曲折變化 /曲折变化 noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- 詞形變化 /词形变化 noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Classical Greek
3 entries- κίνημα noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- κίνησις noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- κλίσις noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Czech
2 entries- flexe noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- ohýbání noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Dutch
1 entries- flexie noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Esperanto
1 entries- fleksio noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Finnish
1 entries- taivutus noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
French
1 entries- flexion noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Georgian
3 entries- მიმოხრა noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- მოღუნვა noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- ფლექსია noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
German
3 entries- Beugung noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- Biegung noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- Flexion noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Greek
1 entries- κλίση noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Hindi
1 entries- विभक्ति noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Hungarian
2 entries- rag noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- ragozás noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Icelandic
1 entries- beyging noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Indonesian
1 entries- infleksi noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Italian
2 entries- desinenza noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- flessione noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Japanese
1 entries- 語形変化 noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Korean
2 entries- 굴절 noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- 어형변화 noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Latin
2 entries- flexio noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- flexura noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Latvian
1 entries- locīšana noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Malagasy
1 entries- fihilan-teny noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Manx
1 entries- yn-filley noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Mongolian
1 entries- хувирал noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- bøying noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- bøyning noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- bøying noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Old English
1 entries- ġebīeġednes noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Persian
1 entries- تصریف noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Polish
2 entries- fleksja noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- odmiana noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Portuguese
1 entries- flexão noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Romanian
1 entries- flexiune noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Russian
4 entries- измене́ние фо́рмы сло́ва noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- оконча́ние noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- словоизмене́ние noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- фле́ксия noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- fleksija noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Slovak
1 entries- ohýbanie noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Spanish
1 entries- flexión noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Swedish
1 entries- böjning noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Tagalog
1 entries- sabaylo noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Tajik
1 entries- оҳанг noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Ukrainian
1 entries- словозмі́на noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Welsh
2 entries- ffurfdro noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
- ffurfdroad noun (variation in the form of a word that reflects grammatical features)
Sample sentences
8 total sentences available.
It is a question of taste whether TAME, tense, aspect, mood, and evidentiality, should be expressed by inflection or particles.
Source: tatoeba (10571844)
Felgar said it’s hard to predict when airlines’ use of biofuels will take off, but that developments over the past 7 to 8 years would indicate an “inflection point is coming up.”
Source: tatoeba (10871440)
In English, word order often does the work that inflection did in Latin.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 8 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "inflection"?
Closest matches include flection, flexion, accent, accidence, affix.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "inflection"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.