What does uninflected mean?
Uninflected describes a word that does not change its form to show grammatical features such as number, tense, case, or gender. For example, the English word "sheep" has the same form in the singular and plural, so it is uninflected for number. The term is especially useful in grammar, linguistics, and language teaching when discussing how words express grammatical contrasts. It is more specific than saying that a word is simply "unchanged," since the relevant changes are those made by inflection rather than any alteration in spelling or sound. Less commonly, uninflected can have a literal meaning: something not bent, curved, or deflected. In this physical sense, the word describes the shape or movement of an object rather than the grammar of a language. Across both senses, its central idea is the absence of a characteristic change in form.
adjectiveNot subject to grammatical inflection; having no change in form to indicate grammatical distinctions. In literal use, it means not bent, curved, or deflected.
- In grammar and linguistics, not subject to inflection and therefore unchanged in form across grammatical contrasts.
- Literally, not bent, curved, or deflected.
"The loanword remains uninflected even when it functions as a noun."
"The noun "sheep" is uninflected for number, so the same form can be used in both the singular and the plural."
"The blade remained uninflected despite the pressure applied to it."
Uninflected describes the rare kind of word that refuses to change its clothes, even when grammar asks it to.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does uninflected come from?
Uninflected was formed in English by adding the prefix un- to inflected, with the sense of being without inflection or bending. Inflect derives from Latin inflectere, built on flectere, meaning "to bend" or "curve." English cognates such as deflect and reflect preserve the same Latin root and its related ideas of bending or turning.
How uninflected is actually used
The grammatical sense is chiefly used in linguistics and language teaching. It is more precise than simply saying "unchanged," because it specifically concerns the absence of grammatical variation in a word's form.