as in bowing
bending downward or forward
some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements
though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of nodding
Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Queen Camilla made a small update for the 2026 event, switching out her black hat with a black feather for a similar style adorned with a white feather, nodding to the Grenadier Guards’ bearskin hats.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Subtle brand codes can be found throughout the space, with the R logo appearing as a custom door handle, the tarot card hand tag reimagined as the bathroom door sign, and the red bathroom nodding to one of the key colors of the brand.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
For example, nodding onion (Allium cernuum, shown here) is a North American native with downward-facing, delicate pale pink flowers.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 June 2026
Pasta & Tacos Productions — the name nodding to the founders’ Mexican-American and Italian-American backgrounds, respectively — quietly launched in 2025 but went public this week with its development slate across film and television, spanning true crime, comedy and thriller projects.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 8 June 2026
For the visit, the future queen rewore a cobalt blue Eponine London dress and meaningful jewelry nodding to Manchester.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 4 June 2026
On it, the two trade not just verses but a series of escalating, truly incendiary guitar solos, Springsteen watching Morello intently and nodding encouragement and approval, before Morello handing the reins back to Springsteen.
—Caryn Rose, Variety, 28 May 2026
The metaphor of perfect communication as nodding to our contemporary AI revolution is specious beyond a point.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Adjective
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
—Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Verb
The pianist Víkingur Ólafsson played the aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, nodding to the fact that Gehry was born Ephraim Goldberg, in Canada.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Queen Camilla made a small update for the 2026 event, switching out her black hat with a black feather for a similar style adorned with a white feather, nodding to the Grenadier Guards’ bearskin hats.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Subtle brand codes can be found throughout the space, with the R logo appearing as a custom door handle, the tarot card hand tag reimagined as the bathroom door sign, and the red bathroom nodding to one of the key colors of the brand.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
For example, nodding onion (Allium cernuum, shown here) is a North American native with downward-facing, delicate pale pink flowers.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 June 2026
Pasta & Tacos Productions — the name nodding to the founders’ Mexican-American and Italian-American backgrounds, respectively — quietly launched in 2025 but went public this week with its development slate across film and television, spanning true crime, comedy and thriller projects.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 8 June 2026
For the visit, the future queen rewore a cobalt blue Eponine London dress and meaningful jewelry nodding to Manchester.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 4 June 2026
On it, the two trade not just verses but a series of escalating, truly incendiary guitar solos, Springsteen watching Morello intently and nodding encouragement and approval, before Morello handing the reins back to Springsteen.
—Caryn Rose, Variety, 28 May 2026
The metaphor of perfect communication as nodding to our contemporary AI revolution is specious beyond a point.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodding
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
Fascinators — those bobbing bundles often of feathers, flowers and netting perched off-center of the wearer’s head — are banned here.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Producers like Shungu, QThree, Mike Shabb, and Elsesser himself let their legato phrases repeat ad infinitum, gently bobbing like a dinghy in agitated waters.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With a quick and creative offensive attack producing goals in front of stadium-shaking home crowds, the Americans have already won their group and booked their place in the knockout round.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
-
In a major rupture, strong shaking could cause severe damage near the fault and in areas built on soft or water-saturated soils, which can amplify shaking.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
If successful, QuantumCT would be eligible to receive roughly $160 million over a decade, pumping considerable federal cash into the state’s effort to build out its quantum economy.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2026
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Martín Pérez was on the mound for the home team, a soft-tossing veteran lefty who was pumping in 89-mph sinkers.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodding. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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