as in crooked
given to or marked by cheating and deception
the drug dealer knew which of the cops were bent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tendency
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
the perfect gift for a person of a literary bent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knack
a special and usually inborn ability
having a decided bent for languages, he picked up Italian in no time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in arched
to cause to turn away from a straight line
she bent the blade of the knife when she got it jammed in the drawer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devoted
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention
bent herself to the task for the rest of the day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aimed
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
bent all of his efforts toward making his first documentary film
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in curved
to turn away from a straight line or course
the stream bends slightly to the east
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in distorted
to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of
attorneys bending the facts to put their client in the most favorable light
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in attached
to cause (something) to hold to another
bend a leash to the dog's collar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bent
Anna Maltby, New York Times, 12 May 2025
In his second term, Trump seems bent on going further.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 May 2025
Hold an ideological bent that is obvious and distasteful.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bent
Adjective
Ideally, your chest should be almost on the floor, and your elbows should be bent to about 90 degrees, or slightly more.
—Anna Maltby, New York Times, 12 May 2025
In his second term, Trump seems bent on going further.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
Noun
The show’s final shot, of Bix holding a baby implied to be Cassian’s, underlined this idea, while also giving Andor a bittersweet bent.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 May 2025
Hold an ideological bent that is obvious and distasteful.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bent
Adjective
-
Among them is Tonic, which stars Blair (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) as Sebastian Poe, a struggling jazz pianist who is given 24 hours to kill a dangerous drug dealer (Westwick) by a crooked cop (Jaso Coviello), and spirals into a moral and emotional tailspin.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
-
Cigarette smoke, dames to kill for, crooked cops — latex super suit?—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
As the graph shows below, Bellingham, like most of Real Madrid midfielders, has a tendency to hold on to the ball, whereas Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen midfield is defined by quick and incisive short passes.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
Currently, some prescribing physicians are likely unaware if patients have disordered eating tendencies, either because the symptoms slip through the cracks, the patient actively conceals them, or the patient is too embarrassed to bring them up, Wassenaar explained.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Health,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Dior has a knack for creating beauty products with explosive popularity.—
Claire Sullivan,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
-
But Smith, now 20, has a knack for showing up and lighting leagues on fire, having done it back home for North Toronto Nitros in 2022 and then in Portugal.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Brown devoted Wednesdays to mobility and conditioning after years of just incorporating it into his daily workouts.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The special section of Art Bulletin—which, as the discipline’s flagship journal, constitutes a semiofficial statement about AI’s importance in the field—devoted the majority of its space to critical commentary about the application of computer vision to works of art.—
Sonja Drimmer,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
But the excitement over defeating the evil scientists and saving the damsel is distorted by the sound of Gemma’s distressed cries.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Mar. 2025
-
An immigration surge prior to last year’s homeless count likely distorted the picture of homelessness in the country, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of research by University of Pennsylvania professor Dennis Culhane, a leading national expert on homelessness.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Murillo’s name has been attached to that song since his first few months in Nottingham and one game in particular when West Ham United were the opposition at the City Ground.—
Daniel Taylor,
The Athletic,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Initial experimental validation of the concept Electrodes were attached, and the experiment began in complete darkness, eliminating potential photoelectric interference.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, filed a suit against ExxonMobil last year that, in part, accuses the oil giant of deceptive claims regarding chemical recycling, which the company disputes.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
-
During the defense’s cross-examination of Kid Cudi, lawyers representing Combs portrayed Ventura as deceptive of both men.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Additionally, the Bank of Japan’s inclination to tighten its monetary policy, which collides with the Asian nation’s fiscal woes, also have a hand in fueling the bond sell-off, said Varathan.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
22 May 2025
-
But state officials have shown no inclination toward making alterations. California earlier this month joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Federal Highway Administration and the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars to expand electric vehicle infrastructure.—
Rob Nikolewski,
Mercury News,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bent. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share