Bent
/bent/
Definitions
3 meaningsCurved; not straight.
/bent/
Curved or angled
The road was sharply bent.
💡 Simply: Not straight, crooked.
More Examples
He had a bent knee.
How It's Used
"The bent wire was difficult to straighten."
To force (something) out of a straight line.
/bent/
To curve or become curved
She bent down to pick up the coin.
💡 Simply: To make something curved.
More Examples
The tree bent in the wind.
How It's Used
"I bent the spoon accidentally."
Determined; resolute (often in a negative context).
/bent/
(Informal) Determined to do something bad
She was bent on causing trouble.
💡 Simply: Determined to do something wrong.
More Examples
He's bent on proving me wrong.
How It's Used
"He was bent on revenge."
Idioms & expressions
bent out of shape
Very angry or upset.
"He got bent out of shape when he didn't win."
Old English *bēgen, from Proto-Germanic *beugan (to bend). Related to words like bow and buckle.
The word 'bent' has consistently been used to describe physical curvature since Old English. The figurative use, implying determination, developed later.
Memory tip
Think of a bent spoon.