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

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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

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 contemplating 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 The central bank, meanwhile, is contemplating raising interest rates later this year, potentially issuing its first hike since 2023. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 25 Aug. 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 My parents, contemplating their mortality, decided to relocate from the Pacific Northwest to an apartment near me. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026 Maceta stood contemplating the invincible green of the pastureland. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 In Florida, Tampa officials are also contemplating expanding its youth curfew. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplating
  1. pondering
  2. planning
  3. considering
  4. intending
  5. debating
  6. looking
  7. studying
  8. questioning
Verb
  • Kronengold and Shaw are still pondering what will come of that if Adults gets to be renewed.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, the fast-casual restaurant chain's CEO and co-founder woke up pondering the country's ongoing cyclospora outbreak.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of pondering
Verb
  • Scenario planning moves from an annual event to a quarterly discipline.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The festival will also open one day earlier than in previous years, on Tuesday, October 6, giving audiences greater flexibility in planning their visits and screenings.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of planning
Verb
  • Travelers who are considering booking one of these flights can use websites like SkyAccess, which posts available empty leg inventory for flights weeks or months in advance.
    — Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The goalkeeping department has probably been downgraded, considering the highly promising Trafford left, and was replaced by Geronimo Rulli, a solid backup option at 34 years of age.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of considering
Verb
  • Richardson’s trade request has remained intact throughout training camp and the preseason, but assistant GM Ed Dodds strongly hinted in mid-August that the Colts were intending to keep Richardson.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Developer Mikki Schuck bought the building in late 2024 intending to fully renovate the top two stories — previously offices — into luxury apartments and a restaurant once more on the ground floor.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of intending
Verb
  • Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space in 2012, although scientists are still debating about exactly where that boundary lies.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Schrader approaches some pretty tetchy, third-rail territory, doing some debating about whether one act of child abuse means that John is, inherently, a child abuser by nature.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of debating
Verb
  • Removing Stains From Bathroom Floors Grout is porous and absorbs all the moisture, dirt, and soap scum it’s exposed to, and that can leave it looking dark and dingy.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2026
  • On Tuesday, Kai posed for her official UM Hurricanes golf team photo on media day, and shared the official snap of her looking happy and focused on Instagram.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of looking
Verb
  • His team has recently been studying how hearing factors into this, and preliminary findings indicate that the sounds people make while swimming can make a shark more likely to approach from a distance.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Another successful student is Surovi Khatun, an undergrad student currently studying at Nawab Siraj-Ud-Dowla Government College of Natore, a neighboring district of Pabna.
    — Ali Asif Shawon, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of studying
Verb
  • His government has consistently avoided criticizing Morocco, but Sánchez condemned comments from two Moroccan ministers questioning the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, another Spain's other territory in North Africa.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But the design quickly sparked backlash and support online, with some applauding the farm's call for civil discourse and others questioning why Kirk was chosen as the face of one of the attraction's biggest annual draws.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of questioning

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contemplates
contemplating
contemplation
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Cite this Entry

“Contemplating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemplating. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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