incumbent
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
The current holder of an office or title.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnkuhmbuhntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnˈkʌmbənt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Chiefly followed by on or upon: leaning, or lying, reclining, or resting, on something else.
figurative
Followed by on or upon: imposed on one as an obligation, especially due to one's office or position.
figurative
Being the current holder of an office or a title; specifically (Christianity, obsolete), of an ecclesiastical benefice.
figurative
Oppressive, pressuring.
noun
The current holder of an office or title; (specifically, Christianity) the holder of an ecclesiastical benefice.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Chiefly followed by on or upon: leaning, or lying, reclining, or resting, on something else.
Used this way, incumbent is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It criticises, but without shouting.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Critical but measured
Nearby words
- superjacent , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use incumbent
- “The incumbent mayor is running for re-election this fall.”noun
Share your sentence
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: current holder of an office or title
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “incumbent” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.