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Synonyms

bent

1 American  
[bent] / bɛnt /

adjective

  1. curved; crooked: a bent stick.

    a bent bow;

    a bent stick.
    Synonyms:
    rounded, hooked

  2. determined; set; resolved (usually followed byon ).

    to be bent on buying a new car.
    Synonyms:
    intent

  3. Chiefly British Slang.

    1. morally crooked; corrupt.

    2. stolen.

      bent merchandise.

    3. unbalanced or crazy; irrational.

      Man, your take on things is so bent I can hardly follow it.

  4. Chiefly British Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. gay.

noun

  1. direction taken, as by one's interests; inclination.

    a bent for painting.
    Synonyms:
    bias, partiality, leaning, penchant, predilection, proclivity, propensity, tendency

  2. capacity of endurance.

    to work at the top of one's bent.

  3. Civil Engineering. a transverse frame, as of a bridge or an aqueduct, designed to support either vertical or horizontal loads.

  4. Archaic. bent state or form; curvature.

verb

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of bend.

idioms

  1. bent (out of shape), angry or upset: Also bent up

    I like that you can share your thoughts on stuff and not get bent out of shape if I disagree.

    I don’t know why you’re so bent—I’m just a couple minutes late.
bent 2 American  
[bent] / bɛnt /

noun

  1. bent grass.

  2. a stalk of bent grass.

  3. Scot., North England. (formerly) any stiff grass or sedge.

  4. British Dialect. a moor; heath; tract of uncultivated, grassy land, used as a pasture or hunting preserve.

bent 1 British  
/ bɛnt /

adjective

  1. not straight; curved

  2. (foll by on) fixed (on a course of action); resolved (to); determined (to)

  3. slang

    1. dishonest; corrupt

    2. (of goods) stolen

    3. crazy; mad

    4. offensive homosexual

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. personal inclination, propensity, or aptitude

  2. capacity of endurance (esp in the phrase to the top of one's bent )

  3. civil engineering a framework placed across a structure to stiffen it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bent 2 British  
/ bɛnt /

noun

  1. short for bent grass

  2. a stalk of bent grass

  3. archaic any stiff grass or sedge

  4. dialect heath or moorland

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bent1

First recorded in 1350–1400 for the adjective and past tense; past participle of bend 1

Origin of bent2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; earlier benet-, bunet- (in compounds), Old English beonet-, beonot- (in placenames); cognate with Old High German binuz (compare German Binse ) “the rush plant”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He survived waves of social change in Iran and multiple American administrations bent on undermining his rule.

From The Wall Street Journal

The team also observed that microtubules, another key part of the cytoskeleton, bent and spread out when the actin band was cut.

From Science Daily

"The future belongs to those who innovate, and Israel and India are bent on innovation," Netanyahu said on Thursday, standing next to Modi.

From Barron's

Lower and lower his back arched as his poor knees bent, eventually bringing him flat on the ground with the table straddled above him.

From Literature

Once he even bent over so that he could get a better look at things.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.