LEANINGS Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

leanings

noun

plural of leaning

as in tendencies

a prevailing or general movement or inclination the news media are often accused of having liberal leanings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in inclinations

a habitual attraction to some activity or thing despite what his athletic leanings might suggest, he was actually a very lazy kid

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 leanings It was reinforced by Washington’s alliance with Pakistan and its engagement with China during the Cold War, India’s socialist leanings in the decades after its independence, in 1947, and New Delhi’s close relationship with the Soviet Union. — C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026 Hook's more partisan leanings are mostly limited to his social media posts. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Aug. 2026 But the political leanings of the district essentially make the results a foregone conclusion. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026 No religious leanings necessary, this event is centered around inspirational music from professional singers. — Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026 Expect heavy 12 and 13 personnel — a natural fit with Sammis’ pro-style leanings. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026 Thanks to Reagan’s pro-oligarch leanings, his administration drove down inheritance tax requirements, pushing rates down to nearly 50 percent—leaving the heirs of oligarchs with more than enough to quickly rebuild their families’ financial empires. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 Stapleton also witnessed the opportunistic shift in the tech industry’s political leanings in recent years. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026 The look fits with Theron’s more daring leanings, especially on this press tour. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leanings

Noun

Wanda’s obsessive drive to succeed ignites her darker side and self-destructive tendencies that led to her drug addiction.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Your more shadowy tendencies are liable to pop out around this time, particularly the ones that stem from an insecure attachment style.

— Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of tendencies

Noun

Putin will eventually leave office, whether by death, illness, or—against all observable inclinations—stepping aside.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
People with gene variants that affect these inclinations may also be at a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes, researchers found.

— Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of inclinations

Noun

For this class, the premise is that your purpose in life lies to the intersection of your values, your aptitudes and your interests.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 6 May 2026
This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.

— GRACIA LIU-FARRER, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025

Definition of aptitudes

Noun

In Humboldt County’s North Spit, near Eureka, tides were 9 inches higher than forecast.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
The offerings of any decent oyster shucker will change according to the seasons and the tides and the shoals and the shipping lines and the harbor freight and the rush-hour traffic on the interstate.

— Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of tides

Noun

As opposed to infantile regression, the oceanic feeling can also be understood as a means of recapturing a repressed sense of relation, connection, affinities.

— George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Marino also has a penchant for seeing affinities in the work of two artists who paths likely never crossed, as is the case with his two-person exhibition of Parsons and Accardi.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of affinities

Noun

If people are working from different assumptions, stop and clarify the system before everyone charges off in opposite directions.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026
On an infinite graph — an abstraction where the graph extends forever in all directions — one or several infinite seas will dominate.

— Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026