brooding 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of broodingnext
1
as in moping

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in pregnant

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Dissimilar Words

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
The Doctor, previously more-or-less asexual, was also now a brooding romantic lead who — controversially at the time — shared a couple of passionate kisses with Dr Holloway. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 May 2026 Sisters Ellie, Lily and Powell Balkcom delivered a powerfully brooding, almost hauntingly beautiful cover of a cover that has come to serve as a cornerstone of their emerging neo-traditional sound. — Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
The brooding vibe leans heavily into nightclub territory, with a nightly DJ spinning deep house to a sophisticated crowd. — Mariette Williams, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2026 The five-alarm fire currently stoked by Garrett Graham suggests that what women are really yearning for isn’t a brooding hockey stud with saturnine curls and complicated rage issues but a man who, at his core, seems to like and care about women. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 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
  • The great speculators became talkative and communicative or dull, sullen, silent, and peevish.
    — Owen Lamont, Fortune, 2 July 2026
  • Judith Lightfoot Clarke and Greg Wood carry themselves with peevish authority as the Butley, oozing entitlement.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of peevish
Adjective
  • That's because of superfecundation, which means that one female cat can become pregnant by multiple male cats at the same time.
    — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Balogun was born in New York only because his Nigerian mother, visiting from England, was seven months pregnant and denied boarding for the flight back to London.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026
Definition of pregnant
Verb
  • With a huge surplus of commercial space sitting fallow in the area, the flexibility and creativity of club music might be a natural fit to repopulate the area with foot traffic and revelers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Robinson’s parents also were present, sitting a few rows behind the Kirks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of sitting
Adjective
  • The symptoms are so delayed that people often blame them on food poisoning, irritable-bowel syndrome, gluten intolerance.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Cancer could be affectionate and chatty one moment, and withdrawn and irritable the next, with little to no explanation.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 June 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
  • Turbid inflows prove particularly disruptive in lakes where fish are spawning, as the dirty — and typically colder — water will push fish off their beds.
    — David A. Brown, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026
  • Sanford and Son ran for six seasons, spawning two spinoffs (Grady and Sanford Arms) as well as a sequel series (Sanford).
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026
Definition of spawning
Adjective
  • For the first time, that includes In Living Color vet Kim Wayans, going large as irascible hospital staffer Nurse Ratchett.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
  • No true irascible aging genius worth his salt is without a ready supply of white socks brightening up the chest of drawers.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Definition of irascible
Adjective
  • Portugal has disappointed an expectant nation by losing 1-0 to Lamine Yamal’s Spain on Monday night in the last 16 despite being one of the favorites.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei’s son and expectant heir, is notably absent.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 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 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on brooding

Nglish: Translation of brooding for Spanish Speakers

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