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
Where Conrad is a brooding, emotional first love, largely defined by the Fearless, Speak Now, and Folklore eras, Jeremiah is the all-American boy gone vengeful represented by Reputation.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 June 2025
The scenario’s bachelor No. 2 arrives in the brooding personage of Oliver (Charlie Anson), the great-great-great-great-nephew of Austen herself.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
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
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Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 June 2025
The scenario’s bachelor No. 2 arrives in the brooding personage of Oliver (Charlie Anson), the great-great-great-great-nephew of Austen herself.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for brooding
Cite this Entry
“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brooding. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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