Synonyms of nodding

nodding 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnä-diŋ 

as in bowing

bending downward or forward

some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bowing
• weeping
• bowed
• falling
• hanging
• dangling
• descending
• declined
• hung
• declining
• sagging
• drooping
• inclining
• floppy
• stooping
• pendulous
• descendant
• droopy
• sinking
• suspended
• dipping
• limp
• pendent
• slumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• upright
• erect
• rigid
• stiff
• unbending
• inflexible
• elevated
• upraised
• raised

nodding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of nod

as in bobbing

to make short up-and-down movements

though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bobbing
• shaking
• pumping
• jerking
• swaying
• wagging
• jogging
• bobbling
• jouncing
• seesawing
• ducking
• wiggling
• rocking
• swinging
• wobbling
• jiggling
• oscillating
• undulating
• dropping

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nodding

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

Verb

Interiors are a fresh take on classic British West Indies elegance, nodding to the overall aesthetic of Little Palm’s past but re-interpreting it as tropical chic of the present. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026

The set included an Air Jordan 11 and an Air Jordan 6, nodding to Jordan’s 1991 and 1996 championship wins. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026

The name Adelaide has royal roots as well, nodding to Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026

Everybody was locked in, and the guys were nodding their heads and stuff. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026

The vibe is very Woodstock-era, got-to-get-back-to-the-garden innocence, a sentiment that has the filmmaker, now in his mid-seventies, nodding in agreement. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2026

Lavie appeared in a jailhouse-yellow shirt and blue pants and looked distressed throughout the hearing, nodding and gesturing to friends at times. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

That means the senior person nodding through your AI strategy meeting is often riddled with the same anxieties as the people who look visibly concerned. — Nohar Zmora, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Skinny sunglasses disappeared in the early ’70s, as Foster Grants, cowboy boots, and double denim came rushing in (on a horse, obviously) and men started nodding their heads in unison to the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. — Dylan Jones, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2026