brooding 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of broodingnext
1
as in moping

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2
as in pregnant

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brooding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of brood
as in sitting
to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop don't disturb the hen while she's brooding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brooding
Adjective
In a little over a hundred pages, Martin interlaces stark, brooding and intense descriptions of the encounter and her injuries with philosophical, even spiritual, explorations. — The Know, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026 Alvarez was a fan of the brooding, vulnerable bedroom pop that had turned the then-20-year-old, born David Anthony Burke, into a Gen Z sensation. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
To be fair, a genre that’s given us everything from brooding, sparkling emo kids who play baseball; a stake-wielding teen slayer who can’t quit the bad boy; and eccentric sidekicks who feast on bugs is ripe with material for mockery. — Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is a Heisman Trophy favorite for Ohio State, but Indiana’s defense can grind down the best of opponents under Curt Cignetti’s brooding eye. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for brooding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brooding
  1. peevish
  2. pregnant
  3. sitting
  4. irritable
  5. gravid
  6. spawning
  7. irascible
  8. expectant
Adjective
  • Then, after Erica has a peevish moment with Scotty, the gang hears about the landing party’s prehistoric adventures over drinks.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 July 2026
  • The great speculators became talkative and communicative or dull, sullen, silent, and peevish.
    — Owen Lamont, Fortune, 2 July 2026
Definition of peevish
Adjective
  • Who wants a pregnant woman on (laughs) the cover of a magazine?
    — McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Their roommate, who is pregnant, was pulled alive out of the rubble.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of pregnant
Verb
  • That could test a board that is short on corporate heavy-hitters — there’s not one sitting CEO on the board other than Huang — or people with deep experience of national security or political crisis management.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna, also appeared to be sitting behind them, among other onlookers wearing Chiefs apparel.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of sitting
Adjective
  • And this new Godzilla, entirely computer-generated, is an irritable muscle of spikes and scales, or like a sort of angry gothic pineapple.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Murray says her own experience has made her more understanding when female colleagues seem more tired or irritable than usual, particularly when the behavior is out of character.
    — Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • About a year after infection, a fully mature, gravid female worm migrates to the skin, usually in the lower extremities.
    — Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Paloski said the massasauga encountered could be a gravid female about to give birth.
    — Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2022
Definition of gravid
Verb
  • The Taurids are known for spawning brilliant fireball meteors, which can flare brighter than Venus as pebble-sized pieces of debris enter and burn up in the atmosphere.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created one of the most beloved fictional detectives of all time in Sherlock Holmes, spawning countless novels, films, TV series, and so forth featuring the sleuth.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of spawning
Adjective
  • The irascible Atmane then took his frustrations out on the net, smashing his racket on the net cord three times.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Others, like his irascible Celebrity Jeopardy standout Sean Connery, are the uncanny product of masterful tinkering, with Hammond eventually stretching the real and the perceived into a shape as recognizable as the actual figure himself.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of irascible
Adjective
  • But on the night of September 3, 1997, the stakes were especially high for expectant parents.
    — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In her carousel post, the expectant mom shared several throwback photos of herself and Ruben from their wedding day.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of expectant

Browse Nearby Words

brooded (about or over)
brooding
brooding (about or over)
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Cite this Entry

“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brooding. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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