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ruminant

adjective

Definition of ruminantnext
as in melancholy
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking I wandered around campus all day in a ruminant mood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminant
  1. melancholy
  2. reflective
  3. thoughtful
  4. philosophical
  5. contemplative
Adjective
  • There is romance and melancholy, playfulness and despair, all happening at once.
    — PhotoVogue, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That O’Flynn’s newfound fame has coincided with her starring role in this gentle, melancholy wonder of a movie is a fitting, if unplanned, convergence.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Adjective
  • Anti-reflective coatings can also be incorporated where required.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Leaders must mediate the conversation and create an environment of true collaboration that allows for active discussion, where people are allowed to disagree in order to develop an answer based on that and reflective of the conversation.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of reflective
Adjective
  • The anxieties surrounding data privacy, algorithmic bias and the fundamental shift in how students learn are valid and require serious, thoughtful attention.
    — Erin Mote, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Someone who reminds a likely very jaded and fickle crowd of editors, buyers, and industry observers that fashion can still be thoughtful, genuine, and most importantly, fun.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of thoughtful
Adjective
  • The original attempt to not exactly make sense, but give some kind of philosophical account of what’s going on with this measurement problem.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Yudkowsky took such tropes of rebellion and rule-breaking and built a philosophical apparatus around them.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • We are asked constantly to dilate and contract—to adjust from contemplative darkness to the California sun, from specific detail to overarching conceit, from stillness to activity.
    — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In a voice at once biting and contemplative, eerie and funny, Kasischke crafts poems in which nothing is ever stable or resolved.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of contemplative
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.

Browse Nearby Words

rumbustiousness
ruminant
ruminate
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Cite this Entry

“Ruminant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminant. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ruminant

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ruminant

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