Synonyms of contemplating

contemplating

verb

present participle of contemplate

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

• pondering
• considering
• debating
• studying
• questioning
• eyeing
• entertaining
• weighing
• exploring
• reviewing
• analyzing
• deliberating
• cogitating
• ruminating
• meditating
• thinking (about or over)
• looking at
• wrestling (with)
• revolving
• mulling (over)
• chewing on
• turning
• digesting
• poring (over)
• perpending
• chewing over
• kicking around
• beating one's brains out (about)
• reminiscing
• reasoning
• reflecting (on or upon)
• cudgeling one's brains (about)
• concluding
• believing
• musing (upon)
• opining
• absorbing
• speculating (about)
• conceiving
• brooding (about or over)
• fretting (about or over)
• dwelling (on or upon)
• second-guessing
• assimilating
• obsessing (about or over)
• fixating (on or upon)
• drinking (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• disregarding
• overlooking
• rejecting
• dismissing
• slighting
• pooh-poohing

2

as in planning

to have in mind as a purpose or goal

he waited patiently, contemplating revenge all the while

Synonyms & Similar Words

• planning
• intending
• looking
• hoping
• going
• trying
• proposing
• wishing
• aiming
• meaning
• designing
• calculating
• meditating
• aspiring
• attempting
• purporting
• considering
• purposing
• pondering
• allowing
• dreaming
• debating
• figuring on
• plotting
• struggling
• endeavoring
• striving
• effecting
• accomplishing
• achieving
• performing
• executing
• mulling (over)
• scheming

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of contemplating

Some are contemplating returning to their home countries or hoping that another third country agrees to welcome them. — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

The debate within the Democratic Party heading into the 2026 midterms offers a preview for those Democrats contemplating presidential bids in 2028. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

The debate is a preview for 2028 The debate within the Democratic Party heading into the 2026 midterms offers a preview for those Democrats contemplating presidential bids in 2028. — Steve Peoples, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

While all of this is happening, Paul also reconnects with Ben, a musician who viewers met during Season 4, and begins contemplating yet another relationship. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Moreno, who in 2003 became baseball’s first Latino owner, was still contemplating a potential exit strategy, according to new club president Molly Jolly. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026

In 2023, the Miami Herald reported that Díaz-Canel told a room of Cuban American businesspeople that the Cuban government was contemplating letting Cuban Americans invest in and own businesses on the island, and was working on legislation to do it. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026

Earlier, writer-director Lanctôt won two prizes at Venice in 1984 for her first feature, Sonatine, about two teenage girls contemplating suicide. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026

Just pulsing in their Petri dishes, contemplating moral relativity or migraines. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026