Synonyms of meditate

meditate

verb

ˈme-də-ˌtāt 

1

as in to contemplate

to give serious and careful thought to

I've been meditating a career change for months

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contemplate
• ponder
• entertain
• consider
• study
• debate
• explore
• question
• ruminate
• eye
• weigh
• analyze
• cogitate
• review
• think (about or over)
• mull (over)
• wrestle (with)
• chew on
• deliberate
• look at
• pore (over)
• revolve
• perpend
• chew over
• turn
• digest
• kick around
• beat one's brains out (about)
• cudgel one's brains (about)
• reflect (on or upon)
• reminisce
• muse (upon)
• believe
• conclude
• reason
• dwell (on or upon)
• absorb
• speculate (about)
• opine
• brood (about or over)
• conceive
• fret (about or over)
• assimilate
• fixate (on or upon)
• drink (in)
• obsess (about or over)
• second-guess

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• slight
• disregard
• overlook
• dismiss
• reject
• pooh-pooh

2

as in to intend

to have in mind as a purpose or goal

had meditated a quick return to work after having the baby, but circumstances changed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intend
• plan
• contemplate
• go
• hope
• try
• wish
• look
• mean
• aim
• propose
• purpose
• calculate
• design
• aspire
• allow
• attempt
• purport
• consider
• figure on
• dream
• ponder
• strive
• struggle
• accomplish
• debate
• achieve
• endeavor
• perform
• mull (over)
• execute
• scheme
• effect
• plot

Synonym Chooser

How is the word meditate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of meditate are muse, ponder, and ruminate. While all these words mean "to consider or examine attentively or deliberately," meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

When can muse be used instead of meditate?

The meanings of muse and meditate largely overlap; however, muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

Where would ponder be a reasonable alternative to meditate?

The words ponder and meditate can be used in similar contexts, but ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

When is ruminate a more appropriate choice than meditate?

In some situations, the words ruminate and meditate are roughly equivalent. However, ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of meditate

The park, open from sunrise to sunset, offers a sweet reprieve from the sun and is a great spot to take a deep breath and meditate in the woods. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

And one is this other mode of meditating on thoughts and not trying to understand it. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026

History and imagination mix as Hanks, playing Abraham Lincoln, mourns for his dead son, while the spirits of the dead, voiced by an A-list cast, meditate on grief and empathy. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Their teachers would suggest that all negative experiences are inherently growth opportunities, or that perhaps the person was meditating incorrectly. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026