inclement
8 synonyms and 4 antonyms for inclement, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Unpleasantly cold, wet or stormy, said of the weather.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective
Unpleasantly cold, wet or stormy, said of the weather.
“Play was abandoned because of inclement weather.”
Opposites
2. adjective formal
Showing no mercy or mildness towards others.
“An inclement judge was the last thing the defence wanted.”
How to use inclement
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Formal; standard in official notices about cancellations and closures.
Etymology
From Latin inclemens, from in-, 'not', and clemens, 'mild' or 'merciful'.
Full origin of inclement →Frequently asked questions
What does inclement weather mean?
It means weather severe enough to disrupt normal activity, typically heavy rain, snow, high winds or extreme cold. Organisations use the phrase in policies because it covers all of these without naming each one.
What is the opposite of inclement?
Clement, meaning mild and pleasant. It survives mostly in weather reports and in the related noun clemency, meaning mercy shown by a court or head of state.
Can inclement describe a person?
Yes, in formal writing it can mean harsh or unmerciful, reflecting the word's Latin root clemens. In modern English this use is rare, and readers will expect the weather sense unless the context is clearly about mercy.