brooding 1 of 2

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

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brooding

2 of 2

adjective

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
Verb
Williams plays Dylan, a brooding bad boy. Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025 Each of these paintings presents a burst of brightness against a brooding dark background, and each is mysterious. Cullen Murphy, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
At best, brooding enantiornithines would have been able to make only partial contact with their eggs, resulting in poorer heat transfer and slower development of the embryo. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2025 The song plays out like the kinds of brooding confessionals that take place solo at the bar. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brooding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brooding
Verb
  • There’s a food container sitting there from Jan’s Café, a chaotic Waffle House-esque diner where Ron’s attacker works security.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
  • In recent weeks, Obama has returned to the political spotlight, cutting commercials, sitting for interviews, and generally criticizing Republicans and urging his party to moderate its tone.
    Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The French fright fest features a very pregnant widow (Alysson Paradis) who sees her home invaded on Christmas Eve by a mysterious woman in black (Beatrice Dalle) dead set on cutting her baby out with some scissors.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
  • After arranging a trip to the vet the next day, Coranez learned that the orange cat was, in fact, female—and pregnant with five kittens due in just two days, on October 14.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Of course, even without Costner, Yellowstone would ultimately become a billion-dollar asset for Paramount, spawning seven different spinoffs.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The series, which also included Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee and Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, ran for eight seasons, ending in 1968 and spawning multiple spin-offs.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While grunge seemed peevish, grim, defeatist, and dour—and extended the kind of us-vs.-them culture most famously centered by the indie rock of the ’80s and ’90s, Oasis was celebratory, communal, and democratic while exploring themes of alienation, escape, and fantasies of triumph.
    Corey Seymour, Vogue, 28 July 2025
  • Thousands of people — displaced by disaster, their past lives gone up in smoke — are hostage to the whims of a peevish president who always puts his feelings first and cares nothing for the greater good.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
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
Verb
  • For example, fever baby turtles in Raine Island, Australia are hatching.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The two theories triggered widespread alarm in the comment section, with viewers imagining what might be hatching above the woman's hotel bed.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • However, the Moon is at odds with Mars, encouraging grumpy and irritable reactions.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
  • However, such symptoms are hard to attribute to vaccines because infants can be irritable or fussy regardless of vaccination.
    Aria Bendix, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The maternity concierge serves as a liaison, guiding expectant parents through the multifaceted stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, alleviating anxiety and stress while assisting families in navigating the journey.
    MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Fedorus recalled her initial concerns as a then-expectant parent in a personal essay for the CBC.
    David Chiu, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brooding. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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