Describes great inclination to pace overwhelming third speaker (5)

I believe the answer is:

steep

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'describes great inclination' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'pace overwhelming third speaker' is the wordplay.
'pace' becomes 'step' (synonyms).
'overwhelming' indicates putting letters inside.
'third speaker' becomes 'e' (3rd letter of 'speaker').
'step' placed around 'e' is 'STEEP'.

'to' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for steep that I've seen before include "Having a sharp incline" , "Lofty" , "Without the bounds of moderation" , "Quickly rising" , "pickle" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.