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
Robbie is a complicated man, at once incredibly compassionate and deeply self-centered, philosophical and brooding but also impulsive and hot-tempered. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Williams plays Dylan, a brooding bad boy. Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
The actor had previously met success with the first film in Netflix's The Kissing Booth series, but his searing performance as the nervy, brooding jock Nate Jacobs was among the most potent features that made Euphoria a water cooler hit. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025 The folk vampire is not a suave dinner-jacket-wearing seducer, nor a sparkling, brooding hero. Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brooding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brooding
Adjective
  • The actress became pregnant with their first child while filming season 3 of The Rookie, and instead of strategically concealing her pregnancy to play Angela, creator Alexi Hawley simply wrote it into Diaz's character's storyline.
    Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
  • In the fine print of its overhauled recommendations, the CDC suggests an initial RSV dose for infants under 8 months if their mothers did not get an RSV shot while pregnant, and a second dose for children with underlying issues like chronic lung disease.
    Aria Bendix, NBC news, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Mahomes is on crutches and the Chiefs are sitting it out this January.
    Dan Pompei, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • For the aforementioned scene, in which the sisters are sitting next to each other on a bed, Lilleaas remembers mostly sticking to the script, until right before the end.
    Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
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
  • Yet the show, centered on the murder of Laura Palmer, became a surprise sensation — lasting two seasons, spawning a prequel movie, and returning two decades later for a revival season.
    James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
  • These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • Some of the consequences of owing your body sleep are readily apparent, like feeling drowsy, irritable, or brain-foggy, or catching seemingly every virus.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Accompanying Rayner through these daily adventures were the irritable duck Chelveston (named after his English bomber base) and the gentle dog puppet Cuddly Dudley.
    Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • In the clip, the expectant mom sets up the camera before calling everyone together to deliver the news.
    Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Dayne is really expectant of himself in those moments.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Re-hatching Some find the hatching process to be the most enjoyable part of playing with Hatchimals.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the adults are hatching their own plan to find and defeat the monstrous force.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 14 Dec. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Brooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brooding. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on brooding

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!