DROOPING Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

drooping 1 of 3

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward faded, drooping banners lining the walls of the old gym

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drooping

2 of 3

noun

as in flagging

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Dissimilar Words

drooping

3 of 3

verb

present participle of droop

as in hanging

to be limp from lack of water or vigor the flowers drooped on their stalks in the blazing sun

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sagging

to lose bodily strength or vigor as the afternoon wore on, we started to droop

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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 drooping

Noun

What to Do If Your Sunflowers Are Drooping Fortunately, a little bit of drooping doesn’t mean that your flowers are doomed. — Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 3 Sep. 2026 If the arteries are leading to the brain, symptoms may involve sudden numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, trouble speaking, slurred speech, sudden or temporary vision loss in one eye or facial drooping. — Charles Trepany, USA Today, 6 May 2026 Engineers hired by the association reported concrete defects, a drooping balcony, loose fire sprinkler joints causing leaks, and corrosion and cracks in the seawall. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 1 May 2026 Right whales, with their characteristic drooping dorsal fin, are most often seen along the Eastern Seaboard, but over the past few years two of them were spotted in the Gulf, one with a calf. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026 If the plant’s leaves start turning yellow, drooping, or curling, that is an indication of overwatering. — Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026 Curling, drooping, or yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while drooping and wilting leaves indicate underwatering. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026 Low indoor humidity and sudden temperature changes can cause drooping stems. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026 The ship was said to have experienced weakening metal parts that eventually fully fractured from the waves; and intense pressure at the ship's midsection that caused drooping of the bow and stern all combined with severe weather, according to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum. — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Verb

And in a succession of 11 guys (many sporting a striking smoky eye), the jackets were worn sliding down the body, half drooping off the torso, with one shoulder covered and the other exposed. — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026 One of the villain’s henchmen was a small, shaggy blue creature with a long drooping snout and a sour expression that lived in a cigar box. — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026 Ensure Proper Care Lastly, Awot-Traut says ensuring proper care for your sunflower is essential to prevent drooping. — Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 3 Sep. 2026 Petals that are fading, drooping, dropping off, or turning brown are all signs that the flower is reaching the end of its life and is ready to be removed. — The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026 Nutrient Deficiencies While less common, peace lilies can eventually exhaust the supply of nutrients in their potting soil and start drooping as a result. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2026 On June 15, Andy and Ruben’s mom, Chantal, returned home from walking the dog to find their son on the bathroom floor, shaking, with the left side of his face drooping. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 The two most common causes are ptosis, which is a drooping eyelid caused by weakness of the muscle that lifts the eyelid, and dermatochalasis, which is excess eyelid skin. — Carlos Wolf, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drooping

Adjective

James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.

— Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021

Definition of nodding

Noun

With morale flagging as the war in Europe drags on, the 6888th is sent abroad to clear 17 million pieces of mail that are sitting undelivered, creating a lifeline to families back home and keeping our soldiers going.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
Warships may board vessels suspected of piracy, slave trading, statelessness or false flagging.

— John Calabrese, The Conversation, 6 July 2026

Definition of flagging

Verb

Walls, backsplash areas and the space beneath upper cabinets rarely get treated as storage, even though rails, pegboards, magnetic strips, floating shelves and hanging baskets can absorb a meaningful share of what currently sits on the counter.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Floating shelves and hanging baskets add another layer without eating into your footprint.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of hanging

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Noun

It is better understood as a symptom of political exhaustion and vulnerability following years of division, economic hardship, and war.

— Michael Robbins, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
The Touring’s heated and ventilated leather seats and lumbar support helped keep exhaustion at bay.

— Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaustion

Verb

Fixed on a mobile rig that will at times careen and whoosh across the stage when not otherwise holding on Winter, Anderson’s camera catches the expressionism and chiaroscuro of stage lights illuminating and fading off the singer’s face.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026
But hopes of winning the two states have been fading, and the GOP is increasingly focused on playing defense elsewhere with five weeks until the midterm elections.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of fading

Noun

While many symptoms overlap between species, Koehler says dogs commonly develop lethargy, fever, limping, stiff or swollen joints, pale gums, bruising, or abnormal bleeding.

— Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 July 2026
In recent days, young Knicks fans have been made to digest from their dreary Boomer elders heavy doses of old-timey hoops lore, but mainly about the 1970 title series, featuring Willis Reed’s limping, yet noble appearance in Game Seven, his injured leg shot up with painkillers.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Definition of limping

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“Drooping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drooping. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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adjective

noun

verb

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