brooding 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of broodingnext
1
as in moping

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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
Concern over a bold tower, characterizable as brooding. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 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
  • Jula married within the Roma community, has had two children and is pregnant with an unwanted third.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 July 2026
  • Like Tubbs, Ferguson was new to the city, having only recently settled there after the better part of a year spent hitching trains with his pregnant girlfriend.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of pregnant
Verb
  • Victims of this manipulation scheme, Nathan and Aesha conspire to impose on the dinner’s seating arrangements in such a way that Luke is sitting next to Joy, and Gen is isolated at the end of the table.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • Tens of thousands of pets ended up at poison control last year over one hazard sitting quietly in gardens, kitchens and living rooms.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Definition of sitting
Adjective
  • Perelman said people who have weakened immune systems and those with irritable bowel disease may want to talk to their doctors before incorporating the foods into their diet.
    — Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • 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
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 film has proved both controversial and enduring, spawning an eight-film franchise and earning its chainsaw-wielding antagonist, Leatherface, a spot among film’s most iconic horror villains.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
  • These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 July 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
  • Laura’s husband lay on the bed as the rival stood next to it, expectant.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • 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
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 16 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on brooding

Nglish: Translation of brooding for Spanish Speakers

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