What does inflected mean?
Inflected means altered in form, with its most common use referring to grammar. A word or language is inflected when grammatical information is expressed through changes in endings, vowel sounds, or other features. For example, a heavily inflected language may use distinct forms to mark number, case, tense, or grammatical relationships. The term can also describe something curved or bent inward, although this meaning is less frequent. The word is useful in discussions of linguistics because inflection distinguishes grammatical patterns from syntax: inflection changes the form of individual words, while syntax concerns how words are arranged. Outside grammar, “inflected” can suggest a deliberate change in shape, direction, or tone, but these broader implications are more figurative than its established grammatical use.
Changed in form, especially according to grammatical rules; bent or curved inward.
"The noun has an inflected ending in this particular form."
The grammatical sense is dominant in modern language description. The meaning “bent or curved” is less common and occurs especially in technical contexts.
Past tense and past participle of inflect, meaning to change a word's form according to grammatical rules or to bend something.
"The software inflected the verb to show grammatical features such as tense and number."
This form is commonly encountered in grammatical analysis, though the corresponding participial adjective is often more natural in descriptions of a language or word form.
An inflected language signals grammatical relationships through word endings, so even a single word can reveal its role in the sentence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inflected come from?
The word comes from Latin inflectere, meaning “to bend” or “to turn aside,” from the prefix in- and the root flectere, “to bend.” Its grammatical sense developed by analogy with the bending or changing of word endings. English later introduced the related forms inflect and inflection; inflexion and flexion also reflect the same Latin root through French.
Related word forms
How inflected is actually used
In grammar, the word most often describes language, word forms, endings, or constructions. Its geometric sense is less common but is still used in technical and descriptive writing.