English UsageComparison guide
Be Bent On Doing vs. Bent To Do
Oxford documents the idiomatic adjective pattern bent on (doing) something for determination. The evidence does not license a parallel bent + to-infinitive complement for that same meaning.
For the “determined” meaning, use “bent on doing something.” Oxford documents bent on + noun/-ing; do not replace that on-complement with a bare to-infinitive as though the structures were interchangeable.
Key details
Confusion Familyverb-complement
Rule Familyverb-complementation
Termsbent on doing, bent to do
Further guidance
Core difference
Use bent on + -ing/noun for the documented “determined” construction.
Style Boundary
The preposition on belongs to the documented construction; do not infer an unlisted infinitive alternative by symmetry.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- bent adjective — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Preferred-dictionary evidence for bent on (doing) something