English dictionary — definitions & meanings

incarcerated

adjective

Held in a prison or jail.

incarceration

noun

Imprisonment; the state or act of being locked up.

incarnadine

adj

Of the pale pink or pale red colour of flesh; carnation.

incarnate

adjective

Given a bodily, often human, form; embodied in flesh.

incarnation

noun

A particular version or form that something takes, especially one in a series of forms.

incautious

adj

careless, reckless, not exercising proper caution.

incautiously

adv

In an incautious manner; with a lack of caution.

incendiarism

noun

The act or practice of burning property; arson.

incendiary

adjective

Designed to or capable of starting a fire.

incense

noun

A substance burned to produce a fragrant smoke, often used in religious ceremonies or to scent a room.

incensed

adjective

Extremely angry.

incentive

noun

Something that motivates or encourages a particular action.

incentivize

verb

To provide incentives for; to encourage.

inception

noun

The beginning or establishment of something.

inceptive

adj

Beginning; of or relating to inception.

inceptor

noun

A beginner; one in the rudiments.

incertitude

noun

uncertainty, doubt, insecurity

incessant

adjective

Continuing without stopping, usually in an annoying way.

incessantly

adverb

Without stopping, especially to an annoying degree.

incessive

adj

Intense and active.

incest

noun

Sexual relations between close relatives, which is widely considered taboo and is illegal in most places.

incestual

noun

A person who engages in incest.

incestuous

adjective

Relating to or involving incest.

inch

noun

A unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot, or 2.54 centimetres.

inchastity

noun

Absence of chastity; the quality of being unchaste.

Incheon

name

A major port city in South Korea, near Seoul.

inchoate

adj

Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature.

incide

verb

To separate and remove (something); to cut.

incidence

noun

The rate at which something occurs, especially within a given group or period.

incident

noun

An event, especially one that is noteworthy, unpleasant, or disruptive.

incidental

adjective

Happening as a minor accompaniment to something else, rather than as the main point.

incidentally

adverb

Used to introduce a side remark, loosely connected to what was just said.

incinerate

verb

To destroy something completely by burning.

incinerated

adjective

Destroyed by burning; reduced to ash.

incinerator

noun

A furnace or device built to burn waste material.

incipient

adj

In an initial stage; beginning, starting, coming into existence.

incise

verb

To cut in or into with a sharp instrument; to carve; to engrave.

incised

adj

cut, particularly with a V shape

incision

noun

A cut made into something, especially into the body during surgery.

incisive

adj

Intelligently analytical and concise. (of a person or mental process)

incitation

noun

The act of inciting or moving to action.

incite

verb

To urge or provoke someone into action, especially something violent or unlawful.

incitement

noun

A call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal way.

incivil

adj

Displaying a lack of courtesy; rude, impolite.

inclemency

noun

The quality of being inclement; lack of clemency.

inclement

adjective

Unpleasantly cold, wet or stormy, said of the weather.

inclinable

adj

Capable of being inclined or tilted.

inclination

noun

A tendency or preference to think or act in a certain way.

incline

verb

To lean toward a particular opinion, feeling, or course of action.

inclined

adjective

Tilted at an angle; sloped.

inclinometer

noun

An instrument that displays the angle of an aircraft relative to the horizon.

inclose

verb

Archaic spelling of enclose.

include

verb

To have something as part of a whole; to contain.

included

adjective

Provided as part of a package or whole, without extra charge.

including

preposition

Used to introduce one or more examples that form part of a larger group.

inclusion

noun

The act of adding something to a group, or the state of being part of it.

inclusive

adjective

Covering everything within a given range, including both endpoints.

inclusivity

noun

The practice of making sure that people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities are welcomed and able to take part.

incognito

adjective

Having one's identity disguised or concealed.

incognizable

adj

Not cognizable; incapable of being recognised.

incoherence

noun

The quality of being incoherent.

incoherent

adjective

Not making sense; lacking logical connection or clarity.

incoherently

adverb

In a way that lacks logical sense or clarity.

incohesive

noun

1868, Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot, A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times

incombinable

adj

uncombinable; incapable of being combined

income

noun

Money received regularly, especially from work, business, or investments.

incomer

noun

One who comes in.

incoming

adjective

Arriving or about to arrive.

incommensurate

adj

Out of proportion (in size, degree or extent) with something else.

incommode

verb

To make (someone) uncomfortable; to discomfort, to disturb, to trouble.

incompact

adj

Not compact; not having the parts firmly united; incoherent or loose.

incomparable

adjective

So good, unique, or extreme that nothing else compares to it.

incompatible

adjective

Unable to exist, work, or coexist together due to fundamental differences.

incompetence

noun

A lack of the skill or ability needed to do something properly.

incompetency

noun

The condition of being incompetent.

incompetent

adj

Lacking the skill or ability needed to do a job properly.

incomplete

adj

Not finished; missing one or more parts.

incompletely

adv

In an incomplete manner.

incompletion

noun

The state or quality of not being complete.

incomplex

noun

An item or thing, as opposed to a relationship between items.

incomplexity

noun

Lack of complexity; simplicity.

incomprehensible

adj

So confusing or badly explained that it cannot be understood.

incomprehensive

adj

Not comprehensive; shallow, incomplete.

incomputable

adj

Not computable; that cannot be computed, calculated or estimated.

inconceivable

adj

So unlikely or strange that it is hard to even imagine happening.

inconclusive

adj

Not leading to a clear result or firm conclusion.

incongruent

adj

Out of place, incompatible, inharmonious, not congruent.

incongruity

noun

The state of being incongruous, or lacking congruence.

incongruous

adj

Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in.

inconsequential

adj

Not important; having little or no real effect.

inconsiderable

adj

Too unimportant to be worthy of attention.

inconsiderate

adj

Acting without thinking about how it affects other people.

inconsiderately

adv

In an inconsiderate manner; without consideration for others.

inconsideration

noun

Lack of due consideration; inattention to consequences, thoughtlessness.

inconsistency

noun

The quality of not staying the same, or of contradicting itself.

inconsistent

adj

Not staying the same over time; unpredictable or unreliable.

inconsistently

adv

In an inconsistent manner.

inconsolable

adj

So upset or grief-stricken that nothing can offer comfort.

inconsonance

noun

Lack of consonance or harmony; disagreement.

inconspicuous

adj

Not easily noticed; blending into the background.

inconstant

adj

Not constant; wavering.

inconstructible

adj

That cannot be constructed.

incontestable

adj

Not contestable; indisputable; certain.

incontinence

noun

The inability to control the bladder or bowels.

incontinent

adj

Unable to control the bladder or bowels.

incontinently

adv

In an incontinent manner; without restraint, or without due restraint.

incontrovertible

adj

So certain or well-proven that it cannot reasonably be denied or argued against.

inconvenience

noun

A problem or difficulty that causes trouble or discomfort.

inconvenient

adj

Causing difficulty, trouble, or discomfort; not suitable for one's needs.

inconveniently

adv

In an inconvenient manner.

incoordination

noun

Lack of coordination, especially in terms of muscle control.

incorporate

verb

To include something as a part of a larger whole.

incorporated

adj

Formally established as a legal company, usually one where shareholders' liability is limited.

incorporation

noun

The act of incorporating, or the state of being incorporated.

incorporeal

adj

Having no material form or physical substance.

incorrect

adj

Wrong or not accurate.

incorrectly

adv

In a way that is wrong or mistaken.

incorrectness

noun

The characteristic of being incorrect.

incorrigible

adj

So set in bad habits or behaviour that it seems impossible to correct or reform.

incorruptible

adj

Impossible to bribe or morally corrupt.

incrassation

noun

The process of thickening.

increase

verb

To become larger in amount, number, or degree.

increasing

adj

Growing larger in amount, number, or degree over time.

increasingly

adv

More and more as time goes on.

incredibility

noun

The quality of being incredible; incredibleness.

incredible

adj

So unlikely or extraordinary that it is hard to believe.

incredibly

adv

To an extreme or surprising degree.

incredulity

noun

Unwillingness or inability to believe; doubt about the truth or verisimilitude of something; disbelief.

incredulous

adjective

Unwilling or unable to believe something, and showing it.

increment

noun

The action of increasing or becoming greater.

incremental

adjective

Happening in a series of small steps rather than all at once.

incrementally

adv

In an incremental fashion; by small changes.

incriminate

verb

To provide evidence that someone is guilty of a crime.

incriminating

adj

Showing or suggesting that someone is guilty of wrongdoing.

incubate

verb

To brood, raise, or maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue through the provision of ideal environmental conditions.

incubation

noun

The process of keeping eggs warm so they can develop and hatch.

incubative

adj

Of or pertaining to incubation.

incubator

noun

A device that keeps a controlled, warm environment for a premature or newborn baby.

incubus

noun

In medieval European folklore, a male demon believed to settle on people as they sleep and cause nightmares.

inculcate

verb

To teach by repeated instruction.

inculpability

noun

Lack of culpability; freedom from blame.

inculpate

verb

To imply the guilt of; to blame or incriminate.

incumbency

noun

The state of being incumbent.

incumbent

adj

Currently holding an office or position.

incur

verb

To bring a cost, penalty, or consequence upon oneself.

incurable

adj

Not able to be cured or treated successfully.

incurious

adj

Lacking interest or curiosity; uninterested.

incuriousness

noun

The state of being incurious; indifference or apathy.

incurrence

noun

The act of incurring something.

incursion

noun

A sudden military raid or invasion into another territory.