as in thoughtful
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking
a contemplative person who likes to go on solitary walks the contemplative life of the monks at the abbey
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemplative
The freak nature of his injury seemed to have Jeffers in a contemplative state Tuesday night.
—
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 20 May 2026
Twain has suggested in multiple recent interviews that turning 60 last year put her in a contemplative mode.
—Lisa Gutierrez
may 13, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026
The Benedictine community that lives here maintains a quiet, contemplative atmosphere, giving the estate a sense of both grandeur and refuge.
—David Dickstein, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
And against the bucolic backdrop, the women settle into a contemplative, shared existence, probing themselves and each other.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for contemplative
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 20 May 2026
Twain has suggested in multiple recent interviews that turning 60 last year put her in a contemplative mode.
—Lisa Gutierrez
may 13, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026
The Benedictine community that lives here maintains a quiet, contemplative atmosphere, giving the estate a sense of both grandeur and refuge.
—David Dickstein, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
And against the bucolic backdrop, the women settle into a contemplative, shared existence, probing themselves and each other.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for contemplative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplative
Adjective
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Rather, Mitchell said the decision to exclude candidates was made after thoughtful consideration and a two-thirds vote of the party’s roughly 50-member executive board.—
Matthew Kelly
Updated June 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
-
The younger dude's use of Rick's musical idea and turning it into a worldwide hit sparks a thoughtful quest about fame and credit.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Lines that seem artlessly off-the-cuff on first pass accrue an unexpected weight and purpose the fourth time through; the countrified guitar lick that sounds so chipper at the start of a song is dripping with melancholy by the end.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
-
Louis’s memories form an immersive, spellbinding confession of betrayal, murder, and melancholy with palpable sensuality.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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One of the vehicles also had a light-up arrow, and all three workers had their yellow and orange reflective gear on.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
But the season was also a reflective one.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The aesthetic is minimal, meditative, and designed to let nature do the talking.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
The finish is long, sweet, and meditative, with lingering notes of sweet wood smoke and orchard fruit.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
This summer’s take on beachy perfumes encapsulates the calming, pensive, and healing nature of the seashore.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
3 June 2026
-
Eve captured Monroe posing on a playground, looking warm but pensive in the shots, which also show her reading James Joyce's Ulysses.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Founders’ commitment to democracy was based on a radical philosophical idea.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
Dennis’s new poems are still conversational, philosophical, sometimes preachy, and cranky, and there is a fresh kind of transcendence here, one that has almost forgotten about disappointment.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemplative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemplative. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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