CONTEMPLATIVE Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

contemplative

adjective

kən-ˈtem-plə-tiv

Definition of contemplative

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 We are asked constantly to dilate and contract—to adjust from contemplative darkness to the California sun, from specific detail to overarching conceit, from stillness to activity. — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 In a voice at once biting and contemplative, eerie and funny, Kasischke crafts poems in which nothing is ever stable or resolved. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 The Sisters embody a unique culture of prayer, silence, solitude and community, living in a contemplative and cloistered order. — Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026 After that feral beginning, the rest of the album is mostly contemplative, wistful, and understated, amid cascading guitars and various sounds that are at times acoustic or gently swirling. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contemplative

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplative

Adjective

Combined with plush cushioning, these thoughtful details make Bombas socks stand out from the average pair.

— Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2026
Weiss, now 69, is widely viewed as a smart and thoughtful straight shooter, skilled at solving organizational problems.

— Hilarie M. Sheets, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of thoughtful

Adjective

The contrasts between the two tales are never drastic; the gradations are sometimes as fine as those between warm and cool melancholy.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Mackenzie Crook’s meditative and melancholy comedy is about a man whose life has been on pause since his girlfriend’s disappearance, leading him to use alchemy to get answers.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Adjective

Walk to Makaluapuna Point (also nicknamed as the Dragon’s Teeth Trail) for a casual coastal hike through dramatic lava rock formations that includes a meditative labyrinth.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Mackenzie Crook’s meditative and melancholy comedy is about a man whose life has been on pause since his girlfriend’s disappearance, leading him to use alchemy to get answers.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of meditative

Adjective

This contestation takes place through philosophical debates, religious disputations, and public discussions, whether direct or indirect, open or clandestine.

— Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Ultron’s philosophical snarkiness and jaded, exasperated air from Age of Ultron carry over here.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026