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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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
  1. contemplated
  2. debated
  3. considered
  4. studied
  5. entertained
  6. questioned
  7. weighed
  8. explored
Verb
  • As a result, every year thousands of students who had contemplated teaching or pharmacy or public service become accidental financiers.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
  • But the race started to take a completely different shape in July, when Crowley dropped his bid and threw his support behind Rodriguez, who was considered more of an establishment candidate.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This history means Yellowstone is considered active rather than extinct.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of considered
Verb
  • After graduating from Proviso West High School, Norris studied at Triton College while working as a secretary.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • To scientists, the idea that the link between vaccines and autism simply hasn’t been studied enough – as Kennedy often claims – is astounding.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 14 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
  • According to a Meta news release, the team explored hundreds of designs, from all-caps to literal handwriting.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Another group explored an area near a post-and-rail fence where workers had hit a large rock structure when installing posts.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of explored

Browse Nearby Words

ponderable
pondered
pondering
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Cite this Entry

“Pondered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondered. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pondered for Spanish Speakers

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