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
During his rise to fame in the Eighties, Val Kilmer garnered a reputation among his peers and the media as a brooding young actor who was often petulant on set.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025
The picture is dedicated to Hutchins, and its brooding elegance, its rich shadows and evocative close-ups, demonstrates her achievement: Visually, Rust is often astonishing — which of course reminds us all over again of the dark specter hanging over the film.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 May 2025
While others chase bright lights and digital theatre, AllSaints has stayed brooding and tactile.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Huston plays the brooding, bedridden widow who watches keenly over Gull’s Point, the Devonshire coastal estate that is both her domain and lookout tower.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
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Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025
The picture is dedicated to Hutchins, and its brooding elegance, its rich shadows and evocative close-ups, demonstrates her achievement: Visually, Rust is often astonishing — which of course reminds us all over again of the dark specter hanging over the film.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 May 2025
While others chase bright lights and digital theatre, AllSaints has stayed brooding and tactile.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Huston plays the brooding, bedridden widow who watches keenly over Gull’s Point, the Devonshire coastal estate that is both her domain and lookout tower.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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