bare infinitive

noun

The infinitive form of an English verb without the particle to; a comparable infinitive in other Germanic languages, e.g. a German infinitive without a preceding "zu", or a Swedish one without a preceding "att".

Opposite
full infinitiveto-infinitive
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Meanings

nounbare infinitive (plural bare infinitives)

plural bare infinitives

  1. grammarThe infinitive form of an English verb without the particle to; a comparable infinitive in other Germanic languages, e.g. a German infinitive without a preceding "zu", or a Swedish one without a preceding "att".

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
full infinitiveto-infinitive

Translations

French infinitif nu, infinitif zéro
  • infinitif nuuninflected Germanic verb form without 'to'
  • infinitif zérouninflected Germanic verb form without 'to'
German reiner Infinitiv
  • reiner Infinitivuninflected Germanic verb form without 'to'
Hungarian pőreigenév
  • pőreigenévuninflected Germanic verb form without 'to'
Swedish ren infinitiv
  • ren infinitivuninflected Germanic verb form without 'to'
Cite this entry
APA

bare infinitive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bare%20infinitive

MLA

“bare infinitive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bare%20infinitive. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bare infinitive,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bare%20infinitive.

Source: bare infinitive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.