Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

incumbent

/ɪnˈkʌmbənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.77 in modern English

Syllables
in-cumb-ent
IPA
/ɪnˈkʌmbənt/
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Hanging or leaning over.

adj

Putting much effort into an activity or some work.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin incumbentem + English -ent (suffix denoting the causing, doing, or promoting of an action). Incumbentem is the accusative singular of incumbēns (“reclining”), the present active participle of incumbō (“to lay upon, to lean or recline on; to fall upon, to press down on”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘against; into; on, upon’) + *cumbō (“to lie down, recline”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ḱewb-, incumbentem, incumbent, incumbēns, -ent, incumbō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɪnˈkʌmbənt/
  • British English: /ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more incumbent (comparative) most incumbent (superlative) incumbents (plural)

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce incumbent?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈkʌmbənt/.
What does incumbent mean?
Chiefly followed by on or upon: leaning, or lying, reclining, or resting, on something else.
Where does incumbent come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce incumbent

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “incumbent”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪnˈkʌmbənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “incumbent”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “incumbent” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.