RECUMBENT Synonyms: 13 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'recumbent' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of recumbent are prone , prostrate , and supine . While all these words mean "lying down," recumbent implies the posture of one sleeping or resting. // a patient comfortably recumbent in a hospital bed

Q: When might 'prone' be a better fit than 'recumbent'?

While the synonyms prone and recumbent are close in meaning, prone implies a position with the front of the body turned toward the supporting surface. // push-ups require a prone position

Q: In what contexts can 'prostrate' take the place of 'recumbent'?

The words prostrate and recumbent can be used in similar contexts, but prostrate implies lying full-length as in submission, defeat, or physical collapse. // a runner fell prostrate at the finish line

Q: Where would 'supine' be a reasonable alternative to 'recumbent'?

The words supine and recumbent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supine implies lying on one's back and suggests inertness or abjectness. // lying supine on the couch

recumbent

adjective

Definition of recumbent next

as in horizontal

formal lying down The Egyptian sphinx has the body of a recumbent lion. a recumbent position

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective recumbent differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of recumbent are prone, prostrate, and supine. While all these words mean "lying down," recumbent implies the posture of one sleeping or resting.

a patient comfortably recumbent in a hospital bed

When might prone be a better fit than recumbent?

While the synonyms prone and recumbent are close in meaning, prone implies a position with the front of the body turned toward the supporting surface.

push-ups require a prone position

In what contexts can prostrate take the place of recumbent?

The words prostrate and recumbent can be used in similar contexts, but prostrate implies lying full-length as in submission, defeat, or physical collapse.

a runner fell prostrate at the finish line

Where would supine be a reasonable alternative to recumbent?

The words supine and recumbent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supine implies lying on one's back and suggests inertness or abjectness.

lying supine on the couch

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of recumbent The reissue contains a new preface by Benjamin Moser, the biographer of Susan Sontag, one of Hujar’s dear friends, who wrote the introduction to the first edition, and also appears in an iconic picture therein, recumbent with upraised arms folded to cradle her head. —

Jackson Davidow, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019 The prize of the collection—a pallid, recumbent, half-naked Cleopatra, by Artemisia Gentileschi—was on loan to a museum, leaving a ghostly rectangle of space on a wall near the kitchen, where a litter box was discreetly positioned. —

Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024 The divan’s red floral cover dominates the composition, setting off the tangle of thick black outlines and shadows defining her recumbent body. —

Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 11 July 2024 One of them, Cavehill, is said to have appeared as a recumbent giant to Jonathan Swift. —

Timothy O'Grady, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for recumbent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recumbent

Adjective

Your jam might be carousels, text-only posts, images, vertical videos or horizontal ones.

— Jodie Cook, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
What Is Fluted Tile? Fluted tiles feature horizontal or vertical grooves that add texture and dimension to your space.

— Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Jan. 2025