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
And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
Sam Woodward, a high-school classmate of Bernstein’s, could not have been more opposite—brooding, angry, and fond of racist postings on social media.
—Wendell Jamieson, Air Mail, 3 Jan. 2026
Scorpios are known for their brooding and intense sensibilities, which Peter inhibits and exudes, as well as their deep loyalty.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
There’s a pompous American grandmaster, Freddie Trumper (Tveit), and his brooding Russian rival, Anatoly Sergievsky (Christopher), who face off at a world chess championship.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brooding
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Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
Sam Woodward, a high-school classmate of Bernstein’s, could not have been more opposite—brooding, angry, and fond of racist postings on social media.
—Wendell Jamieson, Air Mail, 3 Jan. 2026
Scorpios are known for their brooding and intense sensibilities, which Peter inhibits and exudes, as well as their deep loyalty.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
There’s a pompous American grandmaster, Freddie Trumper (Tveit), and his brooding Russian rival, Anatoly Sergievsky (Christopher), who face off at a world chess championship.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 Nov. 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 13 Jan. 2026.
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