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
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Guns do—and those bent on destruction know it.
—John Feinblatt, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
She’s matched wonderfully by Cooke, who leans into her actual Manchester accent to give Cherry a stroppy, sarcastic bent and whose body looks absolutely banging wrapped in an array of oxblood, maroon, and cerise minidresses.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
Moody was really good last season until his ankle bent the wrong way while making a tackle on a kickoff return in October.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bent
Adjective
Some examples include pull-ups, chin-ups, dumbbell rows, bent-over rows, lat pulldowns and inverted rows.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Guns do—and those bent on destruction know it.
—John Feinblatt, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
Its 149 portfolio companies are spread across a variety of industries—top among them software and services, and health care equipment and services—with a heavy cyclical bent.
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
She’s matched wonderfully by Cooke, who leans into her actual Manchester accent to give Cherry a stroppy, sarcastic bent and whose body looks absolutely banging wrapped in an array of oxblood, maroon, and cerise minidresses.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
This bent the samples, generating electricity.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
Moody was really good last season until his ankle bent the wrong way while making a tackle on a kickoff return in October.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bent
Adjective
-
The family had no money for doctors, and the arm healed crooked, forever limiting his reach and range of motion.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Both are as crooked as snakes in a hurry.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While bad tendencies showed up in each loss enough good things seemed to appear in the wins.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
That approach stems from a tendency to question the foundations upon which conventional wisdom is built.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Daring, dangerous, cutout silhouettes are a signature of sorts for the designer, whose knack for cool and modern styles has culled a strong following.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Williams, the steady floor general, has a knack for finding a way to get into the paint to score or dish to shooters.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Rain drizzled down most of the day Friday and into the early evening, but before sunset, as Kansas City shredder Samantha Fish was unleashing on guitar, the clouds parted to make way for a vibrant, double rainbow that arched over the entire box canyon.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
-
On Queen West stands a cathedral to gastronomy, complete with maple wood arched ceiling and steaks worth worshipping.—
Kate Dingwall,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The net, which will be devoted solely to classic Western television series, will be available in 15 of the Top 20 broadcast TV markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Ft.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Courtney has devoted her career to fighting for individuals in high-stakes disputes against financial institutions, achieving landmark victories.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The drone, according to Defense Express, aimed at the 200-kilowatt radio receiver at the heart of the telescope.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Deputy chief executive officer Marco Pozzo — who joined Wolford in July, when the company also completed a capital increase of 25 million euros — shared the strategy behind his mandate, aimed at the business’ turnaround.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Set to Sport, Maybach SL attacks curved freeway onramps or 2-lanes with style.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
But unlike Yamamoto—whose second straight 10-K one-hitter was wasted—Verlander bobbed and weaved and lollipop-curved the lineup to death.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So much of what our protagonist experiences is distorted through levels of paranoia, hallucination or physical impossibility.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
-
But the speakers broke up and distorted at this volume.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bent. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share