PONDERED Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

pondered

verb

past tense of ponder

as in contemplated

to give serious and careful thought to I'm pondering whether or not I should join another committee

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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 pondered In a July 2025 text chain, an agent pondered whether facial recognition tools could be used to identify people on TikTok who admitted to being in the country illegally. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 In a July interview with Rolling Stone, Foreman pondered why his story went viral. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026 SerpApi’s right to defend open web, expert says Beyond its own customers, people invested in the open web have also pondered what the impact of a Google win could be, SerpApi suggested. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 July 2026 Not bad considering national media hasn’t pondered them all season besides suggesting another player be traded away. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Last week began in a slump as investors pondered whether memory chip maker Micron would show sustained demand in its earnings report. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Plunkett, with the Norman Rockwell Museum, pondered whether Americans viewing the painting today would find a familiar feeling. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 25 June 2026 Season 2 continues this thread, and Hely pondered the sense of exhaustion about living in this corporate world. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 25 June 2026 Later, Neill pondered whether he might be considered a victim of abuse due to the Polish director’s practices. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondered

Verb

But the revolt imperiled Infantino, as Europe contemplated replacing him with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, a hugely influential figure in European club soccer.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 30 July 2026
Then, as Bowman contemplated his future throughout the season, vacillating between retiring at the end of this season or next, the notion that Zilisch could replace him picked up steady traction through the summer.

— Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of contemplated

Verb

According to the blunt John Adams, the American Revolution began before the war with Britain, in the people’s minds and hearts, and Arendt situated those shifts in American town councils where citizens had debated local affairs.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
The research on this topic is extensive and widely debated, but a 2026 study has re-modelled a global individualism-collectivism scale to measure where each country falls.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of debated

Verb

González also studied the poetry of June Jordan, who called for the creation of more green space in Harlem.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Unfortunately, a recent review of common interventions employed to reduce compassion fatigue revealed that most interventions haven’t been adequately studied.

— Doreen Samelson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of studied

Verb

Bridges first emerged on the stand-up circuit in 2004, shortly after his 17th birthday, and has since entertained more than two million fans worldwide across a succession of record-breaking arena tours.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
But that’s coming from the perspective of someone who needs more than just Mustache Ride references to be entertained, which is not this movie’s target audience.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of entertained

Verb

Beyond the audience reaction in Sundance, Wilde questioned the fact that comedy as a genre had come disconnected from cinema audiences.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2026
Councilman Dean Vakas initially questioned how units sold near market value fit within the definition of missing middle.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of questioned

Verb

Crude prices rose on the development, and Asia markets traded mixed as investors weighed the latest twist in one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
The costs and benefits of each data-center location to the developer and to the community should always be weighed and made publicly available.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of weighed

Verb

First, there was Green Porno, her series of shorts that launched in 2008 on the Sundance Channel and explored some of the more bizarre mating behaviors in nature.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
Crutchfield and Molt’s rivalry is explored in the book Stolen World by Jennie Erin Smith—like Monsters of God’s first episode, the author uses the two men as a window into how smuggling has fuelled the popularity of reptiles in modern America.

— Rory Doherty, Time, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of explored

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ponderable

pondered

pondering

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“Pondered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondered. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pondered

verb

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