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 film had transformed from the messy, illogical version I’d first seen into a hilarious, shrewd, contemplative work of art.
—
Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
The kinds of tools people need to navigate this century are forged through creative, contemplative work, and yet fewer and fewer are able to afford the time and space to read.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Becerra, known for exploring themes of social and familial rupture—draws on his own teenage experiences to craft a raw, contemplative portrait of youth on the edge.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Cam, who grieves his father throughout the film, allowed Withers to show that even the toughest men in the world have their contemplative moments.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemplative
Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
The kinds of tools people need to navigate this century are forged through creative, contemplative work, and yet fewer and fewer are able to afford the time and space to read.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Becerra, known for exploring themes of social and familial rupture—draws on his own teenage experiences to craft a raw, contemplative portrait of youth on the edge.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Cam, who grieves his father throughout the film, allowed Withers to show that even the toughest men in the world have their contemplative moments.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemplative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplative
Adjective
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While Wohl’s script is packed to the brim with thoughtful moments of beauty, comedy, and heartbreak, Liberation wouldn’t be nearly as affecting and, sadly, relatable without its stellar cast.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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The film tells a quietly amusing story that offers a more-than-realistic dive into one of the most iconic and thoughtful young men in world history – a man who essentially invented modern angst long before the internet existed.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The melancholy truth is that things have sunk into a morass of demoralization and low standards, with journalism inhabiting the poverty sector among the disciplines, and this at a time when communications nationally and internationally have reached an apex of urgency and complexity.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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The soundscape’s melancholy unease conveys a sense of people persisting against the chaos of the world.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Manicurist Brittney Boyce, Fox's go-to nail artist, mimicked that deep red color on the star's nails—with a modern, reflective cats-eye texture.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
27 Oct. 2025
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Adding reflective tape to costumes or bags, wearing bright colors and carrying a flashlight or glow stick can help drivers see trick-or-treaters.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bentley, who directed from a script he co-wrote with his longtime collaborator Greg Kwedar, paints a portrait of grief and transformation with meditative precision and visual poetry.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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The design is minimalist yet warm, with private areas for relaxation, soft lighting, and views of the runway that feel meditative rather than chaotic.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The post included a series of pictures of D’Angelo in the studio, as well as a snap of the two musicians in which D is giving one of his classic pensive, knowing looks and Hill is smiling as the pair lean their heads together.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
15 Oct. 2025
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Stephen depicts the women’s schooltime bond in hypnotic flashbacks, and their separation largely through absence itself, with gliding, pensive shots of places—rooms, buildings, streets—where the women have been and may be again but which, onscreen, are vacant.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This transit can often inspire big visions and philosophical conversations, where people can rediscover their voice and, more importantly, reconnect with their truth.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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His most ambitious series to date, Pluribus can be seen as a corrective of sorts—a grand, artful, mind-bendingly philosophical, darkly funny, sometimes heartbreaking, but consistently humane vindication of our fractious species.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemplative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemplative. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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