moping 1 of 2

adjective

as in brooding

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moping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mope
1
as in lingering
to move or act slowly we were in a rush, and the Sunday driver in front of us was just moping along

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pouting
to silently go about in a bad mood she's been moping all weekend because her boyfriend hasn't called even once

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 moping
Verb
Duke, whose time in the pub is spent either moping or getting hyped up by his aunt Kaulo doing her best Lady Macbeth. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026 In other words, if Hollywood had an awards show for public corruption trials, this case would be at home watching it and moping that it didn’t get nominated. — Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026 Koko storms off and spends the rest of the evening moping about the interaction. — Jihan Forbes, Allure, 29 Oct. 2025 In June the McCoys went back to Bloomington and Catherine spent the summer moping. — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025 One week, a colleague noticed Packard moping around the office and asked what was wrong. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 Rather than moping about, get your shop on with one or all of these many holiday sales. — Averi Baudler, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moping
  1. brooding
  2. lingering
  3. pouting
  4. irritable
  5. dragging
  6. sulking
  7. petulant
  8. delaying
Adjective
  • Its brooding, cyberpunk aesthetic is a strong visual choice for telling the story of a former Sith lord whose double-bladed lightsaber dazzled so many viewers in The Phantom Menace.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 26 July 2026
  • Though Hunt and Pacquin rightly won all the plaudits, Neill memorably played the brooding and jealous Alisdair.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
Definition of brooding
Verb
  • Starting in Arraez’s place was Basabe, who has spent more time with the club than originally anticipated due to Matt Chapman’s lingering abdominal strain.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Skubal’s arrival answers whatever lingering questions there were about the Dodgers’ quest for a third straight title, as well as ones yet to pop up.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • Some people will probably be pouting in those debriefs.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • My introduction to Peters came late last year, when Instagram’s algorithm served me a video of him wearing a baseball cap, primping and pouting for the camera.
    — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Definition of pouting
Adjective
  • Just as Depp made to exit the stage, a haunting voice came over the speaker, eerily repeating the irritable man’s name.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 23 July 2026
  • Perelman said people who have weakened immune systems and those with irritable bowel disease may want to talk to their doctors before incorporating the foods into their diet.
    — Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of irritable
Verb
  • This seems especially true if there are hiccups in correct window measurement or ordering, which can lead to long delays and projects dragging on and on.
    — Jason Rueger, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • At Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz County, a lifeguard was captured on video dragging a boy out of the water in a harrowing rescue.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of dragging
Verb
  • But nothing good came from sulking.
    — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 19 May 2026
  • With that goal in mind, Dijkstra has constructed a scheme to ensure that King Radovid stops drinking and sulking over Jaskier and embraces his role as one of the few remaining leaders who can oppose Emhyr’s army.
    — Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Definition of sulking
Adjective
  • Lou Reed modeled the sort of petulant sing-talking that characterizes her verses.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • But while Argentina was being petty and petulant, Spain was practically perfect in every way.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of petulant
Verb
  • At the same time, borrowers are reporting increasing problems and errors that are delaying or derailing their ability to maintain access to affordable repayment plan programs and student loan forgiveness.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • State lawmakers argued that schools should not be delaying reporting AI nudes until their own probes end but rather should be required to promptly tip off police, who are better positioned to investigate the crimes.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of delaying

Browse Nearby Words

mopey
moping
mopped
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Cite this Entry

“Moping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moping. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on moping

Nglish: Translation of moping for Spanish Speakers

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