brooding 1 of 2

Definition of broodingnext

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
A lot of it came down to Adam, a brooding alcoholic, who was often unpredictable in his behavior. Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026 The height comes from a stance atop 20-inch wheels, and the vehicle’s sloping hood descends low, like a brooding brow. John Scott Lewinski, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
The production, directed with the brooding fluidity that is David Cromer’s calling card, is most alive in the evolving dynamic between Nick and Jacki, whose romance happens by degrees then all at once before reality intervenes and the criminal justice bureaucracy grinds to a halt. Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026 And, even to this day, the dark and brooding aesthetic holds up beautifully. Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for brooding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brooding
Adjective
  • The deep waters close to shore create a safe calving ground for pregnant mother whales, with an abundant buffet of giant squid the size of Mini Coopers.
    Adam Erace, Fortune, 24 May 2026
  • Even Nyro’s piano playing seems to shift in and out of focus, drawing our attention to the pregnant pause of a note fading in a quiet room.
    Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 24 May 2026
Verb
  • The person sitting between Sajani and Suvali, Reshma, stepped up to be Sasmita.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
  • Elder’s sculpture was sitting outside of Bee Hive KC over Memorial Day Weekend when a man who was visibly angry allegedly began vandalizing the honeybee, according to Elder.
    Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • Judith Lightfoot Clarke and Greg Wood carry themselves with peevish authority as the Butley, oozing entitlement.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.
    Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
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
  • Like Heated Rivalry before it, Off Campus became an instant sensation, spawning a passionate fanbase that’s ready to see how the rest of Kennedy’s books might be adapted in future seasons.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • This embrace of coal is a short-term fix—extending the life spans of older coal-burning plants rather than spawning a wave of new ones.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 19 May 2026
Adjective
  • That’s because the Moon is at odds with Mars today and everyone is irritable.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
  • What are the symptoms of irritable bowel disease?
    Lindy Segal, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • But the research closely monitored the activity levels of expectant moms throughout pregnancy with fitness trackers, which is a more reliable method than simply asking the participants about their activity levels.
    Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 28 May 2026
  • Kris Jenner is a grandmother of 13, and over the years, her children have thrown fun, elaborate baby showers for their expectant bundles of joy.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Verb
  • As with other Colossal projects, this artificial bird incubator started with a more modest process focused on developing and hatching ordinary chickens, whose biology is well known and whose reproductive cycle takes less than a month, allowing rapid iteration.
    David Bloom, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
  • Pittsburgh eaglets die six weeks after hatching Pittsburgh welcomed both eaglets in early April, with the first egg hatching on April 2.
    Finch Walker, USA Today, 18 May 2026

Cite this Entry

“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brooding. Accessed 31 May. 2026.

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