as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
a long, maundering conversation about what was wrong with the world and how he could fix it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in wandering
to move about from place to place aimlessly
maundered all over town on his day off
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rattling
to talk at length without sticking to a topic or getting to a point
ask her a question and she'll maunder for half an hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in complaining
chiefly British
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
a couple of mates maundering over their beer in a dark corner of the pub
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maundering
Adjective
-
In the past several years, Edge had filed a string of civil lawsuits with rambling, sometimes conspiratorial claims.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025 -
Kiehne was frustrated with the Joneses because the county government wouldn’t grade the dirt road up to his ranch, a rambling territory along the New Mexico border.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Mid-October will see the wandering body pass close to the star Alkaphrah, or Chi Ursae Majoris in the constellation Ursa Major, just below the 'dipper' portion of the Big Dipper asterism, before beating a path through the night sky towards the star Cor Caroli in the constellation Canes Venatici.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
On his first night alone in the city, Alex is wandering around the Village and tries to get a drink at the Olive Tree Café, the fabled spot on MacDougal Street that’s attached to the Comedy Cellar (which is the floor below).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The rapid escalation of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies has sunk stocks, rattling investors and industries by igniting fears of a repeat of the tit-for-tat tariff battle in spring, when levies on Chinese and American imports soared to around 145% and 120% respectively.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Two sisters with a tragic story are said to linger upstairs at Langston’s Western Wear, and unexplained voices and rattling glassware have been heard at Gabriella’s Italian Grill, a Prohibition-era building with a gangsters and gambling history.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
DeWanna Bonner earned a technical foul with six minutes remaining for complaining after a no-call on a second-chance attempt.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Not that Siegler is complaining.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Local residents and longtime business owners alike have been traumatized by immigration agents roaming around the neighborhood, Moreno said, arresting both unauthorized immigrants and US citizens.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper's days of roaming the outfield grass are over, and the former is headed to free agency anyway.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Obviously, there is a bird on the hood, the screaming chicken.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Pointed gestures toward the lingering tension between Japan and Korea — and between those two countries and the rest of the planet — are drowned out by tiresome bickering and exaggerated gags, like a meaningful conversation swallowed into the sound of an airplane engine screaming overhead.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Trump prattles on about the economy while the actors freeze behind him in their ancient Galilee garb.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
-
She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.—
Joshua Cohen,
The New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
While shares are up about 1% on Monday, the stock has been drifting lower since its post-earnings pop in late July.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Curled on the bottom bunk, his knees are drawn to his chest, wisps of hair drifting softly around his skull.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Maundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maundering. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share