brooding

adjective

brood·​ing ˈbrü-diŋ How to pronounce brooding (audio)
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
broodingly adverb
a broodingly handsome actor
Gardner gazes broodingly at the camera … Kathleen Murphy

Examples of brooding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Jane pitches her biracial sitcom to a Black showrunner named Hampton Ford, a brooding, cynical operator who looks at the omnipresence of interracial families and sees a potential windfall. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2024 Popular on Variety This Target edition contains an exclusive cover that features the two characters in a brooding and mysterious all-black silhouette while posing against an illuminated cityscape. Tim Chan, Variety, 15 Aug. 2024 In this dark and brooding place, justice is a pipe dream. Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2024 Is there a brooding, shifty fellow dragon rider in this that will pave way for a clear enemies-to-lovers situation? Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for brooding 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brooding.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brooding was in 1818

Dictionary Entries Near brooding

Cite this Entry

“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brooding. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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