1
as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
she contemplated the problem for several hours before reaching a decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in planning
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
he waited patiently, contemplating revenge all the while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemplating
Among critics is San José Mayor Matt Mahan, a tech-friendly Democrat who is contemplating a run for governor.
—
Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Today's developments, however, also spark a new series of questions worth contemplating.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Their time to maximize the three players was limited, though, because of their ages, and the Rams were also aware that Donald had been contemplating retirement.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Smart’s captors subjected her to rape daily, something that drove her to the point of contemplating suicide.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
The inventive dishes called to mind the blue zone pillar of nourishing our bodies with food from the earth, and left me contemplating how to incorporate more ingredients like these into my everyday diet.
—Mary Honkus, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026
The Financial Times reported that the EU was contemplating imposing 93 billion euros ($108 billion) worth of tariffs, as well as considering the use of the ACI.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
Future of Microtransit Leaders in Plano, Irving and other cities in North Texas are contemplating what their transit futures could look like without DART.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 17 Jan. 2026
Shiller says that modern workers—and young people contemplating a degree—should avoid being caught in a profession that everyone else is doing.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Today's developments, however, also spark a new series of questions worth contemplating.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Their time to maximize the three players was limited, though, because of their ages, and the Rams were also aware that Donald had been contemplating retirement.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Smart’s captors subjected her to rape daily, something that drove her to the point of contemplating suicide.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
The inventive dishes called to mind the blue zone pillar of nourishing our bodies with food from the earth, and left me contemplating how to incorporate more ingredients like these into my everyday diet.
—Mary Honkus, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026
The Financial Times reported that the EU was contemplating imposing 93 billion euros ($108 billion) worth of tariffs, as well as considering the use of the ACI.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
Future of Microtransit Leaders in Plano, Irving and other cities in North Texas are contemplating what their transit futures could look like without DART.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 17 Jan. 2026
Shiller says that modern workers—and young people contemplating a degree—should avoid being caught in a profession that everyone else is doing.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplating
Verb
-
The Rams will be at home pondering what might have been.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
That was the question that Golden Rain Foundation directors asked in August while pondering ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency.—
Anita Gosch,
Oc Register,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Volunteering For One High-Visibility Initiative When the year begins, many teams are planning major initiatives, strategic meetings or kickoffs for important projects.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Several New Jersey school districts are planning to welcome students back on Tuesday, but some places, like Jersey City, have been forced to cancel classes for a second day due to the clean-up after the snowstorm proving to be a daunting task.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dave Parker, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said interstates and highways were in pretty good shape overall considering the amount of sleet and snow.—
Bill Bowden,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Retain clients who were considering leaving?—
Kwame Christian Esq,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce owns the intellectual property rights to the image of the Hollywood® Sign, so that anyone intending to use and/or access the Hollywood® Sign for commercial purposes must obtain a license or permission from the Hollywood Chamber to do so.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Deer-ly beloved On a now typical frosty evening late last week, Beth Brecher was about to walk out of her back door onto Central Park intending to feed the birds.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This week, legislators will begin debating several of them.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Those of us gathered in Davos were no longer debating whether AI will change the world and shape our collective futures; that is settled.—
Mark Minevich,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The only black eye on the report was a loss in Reality Labs, but given management’s recent efforts to reduce spending in the division, investors are looking past it.—
,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The simple-looking 'speedometer' is actually a touchscreen that can show GPS and a variety of displays for speed, RPM, fuel, music, and more.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Our team actually went down a rabbit hole really just studying this category of books because there are a lot of folks that didn’t even really know that this genre existed or existed in such volume and that there was so much fandom around it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
As part of that, ESA scientists are studying what happens when satellites burn up.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The incident heightened national attention on aviation safety in 2025, with many people questioning whether flying was safe.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Online posts questioning the city’s account continued into the week, and protesters have kept returning to the Hyatt, banging pots and chanting in subfreezing temperatures.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemplating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemplating. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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