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

Luxury fashion — an industry that justifies its price tag through the promise of human craftsmanship — has enjoyed nodding to robots, and in particular fem-bots, for decades. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

The ground floor features a reflecting pool, nodding to what appeared in all the gardens Dior designed at the likes of homes Les Rhumbs and the Château de La Colle Noire. — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

In so doing, Herzog is nodding to the past, but also signaling to soldiers on the ground today that killing a Palestinian is forgivable. — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Outside, Terremoto approached the garden with a similar balance of continuity and reinvention, nodding to the home’s midcentury origins without slipping into pastiche. — Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Oh, yes, sure,’ said Stanton, nodding out, still thinking about music. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Mix in drought-tolerant native plants—such as nodding onions—with flowers that add color to your gravel garden while providing valuable nectar for pollinators like bumblebees. — Teresa Woodard, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2026

Among the guests at the launch celebration were Coco Rocha and Debbie Harry, weaving through the space and stopping at the backlit bar for drinks, nodding along to the sounds of DJ duo Las Flaquitas. — Ruby Ford-Dunker, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026

How does the festival define where the label is now while nodding to its history? — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026