bent
bent Lexical Profile
bent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Curved, angled, or sharply altered from an originally straight or flat form.
"He tried to unlock the old door using a bent paperclip."
Firmly determined or resolved to do a specified thing (typically followed by 'on').
"She was utterly bent on finishing the marathon despite her sore knee."
British Dishonest, corrupt, or illegally obtained.
"The investigation uncovered a network of bent officials accepting bribes."
• verb
To incline the body downward from the vertical or stoop (past tense and past participle of 'bend').
"She bent down to tie her shoelaces before continuing her walk."
To shape or force something straight into a curve or angle (past tense and past participle of 'bend').
"The blacksmith heated the iron rod and bent it into a horseshoe."
• noun
A natural talent, inclination, or predisposition toward a particular activity or interest.
"From an early age, the student showed a strong artistic bent."
Any of various stiff, wiry grasses of the genus Agrostis (often called bentgrass) native to temperate zones and widely used for pastures and golf greens, or the dry stalk of such grass.
"The wind swept across the moor, flattening the dry bents and heather."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the sense of 'strongly determined,' the adjective 'bent' is almost exclusively used predicatively and followed by the preposition 'on' (e.g., 'bent on winning'). In British slang, 'bent' can mean corrupt or dishonest, and historically was used as a derogatory term for homosexual, requiring care in cross-Atlantic contexts.
• Rhymes for bent
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Middle English past participle of 'benden' (from Old English 'bendan', meaning to bind or bow with a string). The botanical noun sense referring to stiff grass stems independently descends from Old English 'beonet'.