1
: moodily or sullenly thoughtful or serious
a brooding genius
a brooding, embittered man
2
: darkly somber
a brooding landscape
a quiet, brooding atmosphere
… brooding, violent images reminiscent of … film noir …—
Tracy Hopkins
Tracy Hopkins
broodingly
adverb
a broodingly handsome actor
Gardner gazes broodingly at the camera …
—Kathleen Murphy
Kathleen Murphy
Examples of brooding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Spanning 137 episodes, Riverdale began as a brooding adaptation of Archie Comics and soon garnered a reputation for taking huge swings with unpredictable plot lines and campy character choices.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025
At the center is Jinu, the brooding lead with a mysterious hold on both the protagonist Rumi and armies of fans.
—Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
With the excitement and delusion of Humbert Humbert imposing a purple-prose narrative on his pedophilic assumptions, Hank speaks of his former student like a James Dean figure — beautiful, brooding and quietly intelligent.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Front man Coleman cuts a tall, brooding figure, saving his emotions for his vocal delivery and occasional pronouncements on the importance of faith.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brooding
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Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025
At the center is Jinu, the brooding lead with a mysterious hold on both the protagonist Rumi and armies of fans.
—Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
With the excitement and delusion of Humbert Humbert imposing a purple-prose narrative on his pedophilic assumptions, Hank speaks of his former student like a James Dean figure — beautiful, brooding and quietly intelligent.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Front man Coleman cuts a tall, brooding figure, saving his emotions for his vocal delivery and occasional pronouncements on the importance of faith.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brooding
Cite this Entry
“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brooding. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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