incumbent
Syllables: in·cumb·ent/ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt//ɪnˈkʌmbənt/
incumbent adjective: chiefly followed by on or upon: leaning, or lying, reclining, or resting, on something else.
Adjective
incumbent (comparative more incumbent, superlative most incumbent)
- Chiefly followed by on or upon: leaning, or lying, reclining, or resting, on something else.
- [I]f the great Doore, be Arched, vvith ſome braue Head, cut in fine Stone or Marble for the Key of the Arch, and tvvo Incumbent Figures gracefully leaning vpon it, tovvards one another, as if they meant to conferre; I ſhould thinke this a ſufficient entertainement, for the firſt Reception, of any...1624, Henry Wotton, The Elements of Architecture, […], London: […] Iohn Bill, →OCLC, II. part, page 103
- [U]pon the tops of high Mountains, the Air vvhich bears againſt the reſtagnant Quick-ſilver, is leſs preſſ'd by the leſs ponderous incumbent Air; and conſequently is not able totally to hinder the deſcent of ſo tall and heavy a Cylinder of Quick-ſilver, as at the bottom of ſuch Mountains did but...1659 December 30 (date written), Robert Boyle, “[Experiment 1]”, in New Experiments Physico-Mechanicall, Touching the Spring of the Air, and Its Effects […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] H[enry] Hall...
- Synonyms:
- recumbent
- Of an anther: lying on the inner side of the filament; also, of a cotyledon: having its back lying against the radicle.
- [T]he anther either looks inwards or outwards. When it is turned inwards, or is fixed to that side of the filament which looks towards the pistil or centre of the flower, the anther is incumbent or intorse, as in Magnolia and the Water-Lily. When turned outwards, or fixed to the outer side of the...1857, Asa Gray, “Lesson XVII. Morphology of the Stamens.”, in First Lessons in Botany and Vegetable Physiology, […], New York, N.Y.: Ivison & Phinney and G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam & Co., […], →OCLC...
- Of a body part such as a hair, spine, or wing: bent downwards or otherwise positioned so that it, or part of it, rests on or touches something else; specifically (ornithology), of the hind toe of a bird: fully resting on a support.
- the incumbent toe of a bird
- Being the current holder of an office or a title; specifically (Christianity, obsolete), of an ecclesiastical benefice.
- If the incumbent senator dies, he is replaced by a person appointed by the governor.
- But whether parishes,—as usually understood for places bounded in regard of the profits from the people therein, payable only to a pastor incumbent there;—I say, whether such parishes were extant in this age, may well be questioned, as inconsistent with the community of ecclesiastic profits, which...1655, Thomas Fuller, “Section II. The Seventh Century.”, in The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI), subsection 68 (England Divided...
- Oppressive, pressuring.
- The North muſt again have been alarmed, and agitated, by the invaſion of the Huns; and the nations vvho retreated before them, muſt have preſſed vvith incumbent vveight on the confines of Germany.1781, Edward Gibbon, chapter XXX, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume III, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, page 161
- Followed by on or upon: imposed on one as an obligation, especially due to one's office or position.
- Proper behaviour is incumbent on all holders of positions of trust.
- Certainly all men truly Zelous, vvill moſt induſtriously endeavor to perform the first kind of good VVorks alvvaies; thoſe, I mean, that are incumbent on all Christians.1679 January 2 (Gregorian calendar), Thomas Sprat, A Sermon Preached before the King at White-hall December the 22. 1678, [London]: […] S. R. for Henry Brome, →OCLC, page 32
- Hanging or leaning over.
- Hath the cleft Centre open'd vvide to Thee? / Death's inmoſt Chambers didſt Thou ever ſee? / E'er knock at his tremendous Gate, and vvade / To the black Portal thro' th' incumbent Shade?1719, E[dward] Young, A Paraphrase on Part of the Book of Job, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 6
- [T]he ſpreading beech, that o'er the ſtream / Incumbent hung, […]a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC, page 97, lines 1362–1363
- Putting much effort into an activity or some work.
- And lovve menne ſpiritually are ſuche, as are incumbente and dooe reſt on filthy or vile and tranſitory thynges.1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Ghospell of S. Luke. The .xix. Chapter.”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., The...
- [H]e foresaw not that he was losing for ever the opportunity of acquiring habits of firm and incumbent application, of gaining the art of controuling, directing, and concentrating the powers of his own mind for earnest investigation,—an art far more essential than even that learning which is the...1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], “Education”, in Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], 2nd edition, volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London...
- Weighing on one's mind.
- Ambition, and Covetouſneſſe are Paſſions alſo that are perpetually incumbent, and preſſing; vvhereas Reaſon is not perpetually preſent, to reſiſt them: and therefore vvhenſoever the hope of impunity appears, their effects proceed.1651, Thomas Hobbes, “Of Crimes, Excuses, and Extenuations”, in Leviathan, or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill, London: […] [William Wilson] for Andrew Crooke...
Noun
incumbent (plural incumbents)
- The current holder of an office or title; (specifically, Christianity) the holder of an ecclesiastical benefice.
- He has always remained friendly to me, though before his promotion, when he was an incumbent of this diocese, we had a little controversy about the Bible Society.1876, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XXIV, in Daniel Deronda, volume II, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book III (Maidens Choosing), page 123
- But if they had waited about the store to see what would happen when he arrived who until last night anyway must have still believed himself the incumbent, they were disappointed. […] A few days later they learned that the new smith was living in the house […]1940, William Faulkner, chapter 3, in The Hamlet […], London: Chatto & Windus, published 1979, →ISBN, book 1 (Flem), section 1, page 61
- Antonyms:
- nonincumbent
- A holder of a position as supplier to a market or market segment that allows the holder to earn above-normal profits.
- American capitalism is becoming like its European cousin: established firms with the scale and scope to deal with a growing thicket of regulations are doing well, but new companies are withering on the vine or selling themselves to incumbents.2012 September 29, “Schumpeter: Fixing the capitalist machine”, in The Economist, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2012
- Antonyms:
- nonincumbent
incumbent meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
incumbent in Hindi
- being the current holder of an office or a title
- पदस्थ padasth
incumbent in Tamil
- தற்போது பதவி வகிப்பவர், பொறுப்பில் இருப்பவர், தற்போது பதவியிலுள்ள, பொறுப்பு வகிக்கும்
incumbent in Marathi
- being the current holder of an office or a title
- विद्यमान vidyamān
incumbent in Urdu
- فرض, لازم, واجب, ضروری, عہدے دار
More languagesFewer languages
- incumbent in Bengali
- পদাধিকারী, বর্তমান পদধারী, বাধ্যতামূলক
- incumbent in Malayalam
- കിടക്കുന്ന, മേലെവീണ, ആശ്രയിച്ചുനില്ക്കുന്ന
- incumbent in Kannada
- ಉಂಬಳದಾರ, ದತ್ತಿದಾರ, ಹುದ್ದೆದಾರ, ಹೊಣೆಗಾರ
- incumbent in Arabic
- شَاغِل šāḡil
- incumbent in Malay
- penyandang, inkamben, pejabat
- incumbent in Indonesian
- inkamben, petahana, yang berkuasa, yang menjabat
- incumbent in Persian
- سر کار sar-e kâr
- incumbent in Vietnamese
- đương nhiệm
Examples of incumbent in a sentence
- Then with expanded wings he ſtears his flight / Aloft, incumbent on the dusky Air / That felt unuſual weight, […]1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert...
- Here, as ’tis ſaid, the Rebel Giants lye, / And vvhen to move th’incumbent Load they try, / Aſcending Vapours on the Day prevail, / The Sun looks ſickly, and the Skie grovv pale.1705, J[oseph] Addison, “The Antiquities and Natural Curiosities that Lye near the City of Naples”, in Remarks on Several Parts of Italy...
- And, rising from his incumbent posture, he sought to force the end of the weed [a cigar] between the teeth of the dog.1853, Pisistratus Caxton [pseudonym; Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter IV, in “My Novel”; Or Varieties in English Life […], volume II...
- When it is turned inwards, or is fixed to that side of the filament which looks towards the pistil or centre of the flower, the anther is incumbent or intorse, as in Magnolia and the Water-Lily.1857, Asa Gray, “Lesson XVII. Morphology of the Stamens.”, in First Lessons in Botany and Vegetable Physiology, […], New York, N.Y.: Ivison...
Synonyms of incumbent
Antonyms
Forms of incumbent
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more incumbent |
| superlative | most incumbent |
| Noun | |
| plural | incumbents |
Origin of incumbent
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-).
From Middle English incumbent, encumbent (“holder of an ecclesiastical benefice, dean, parson, etc.; cleric (?)”), from Medieval Latin incumbēns (“holder of a church position”) + Middle English -ent (suffix denoting one that causes, does, or promotes an action). Incumbēns is derived from Medieval Latin incumbō (“to obtain; to possess”), from Latin incumbō (“to lay upon, to lean or recline on; to fall upon, to press down on”): see etymology 1.
Words formed from incumbent
Questions about incumbent
- What does incumbent mean?
- Incumbent means chiefly followed by on or upon: leaning, or lying, reclining, or resting, on something else.
- What is incumbent in Hindi?
- Incumbent in Hindi is पदस्थ (padasth). See Incumbent meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use incumbent in a sentence?
- Then with expanded wings he ſtears his flight / Aloft, incumbent on the dusky Air / That felt unuſual weight, […]
- What part of speech is incumbent?
- Incumbent can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce incumbent?
- Incumbent is pronounced /ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt/ (UK).
Words near incumbent in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: incumbent (page history and authors); incumbent (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); incumbent (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Incumbent (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); incumbent (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); incumbent (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-incumbent.wav, En-us-incumbent.oga.
Cite this entry: “incumbent.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/incumbent. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.