as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
the minister hoped that the congregation would spend the remainder of the week ruminating the message of his sermon
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Recent Examples of ruminating
Justice notes these preoccupations often impact our wellness in subtle and overlooked ways that can add up to significant harm like sleep disturbance, irritability, uncontrolled worry, ruminating about the ‘what ifs,’ exhaustion, burnout, and over-functioning.
—
Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
Virgos are known for their analytical skills, but can be prone to taking the analysis a little too far and ruminating over matters.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Aug. 2025
Don’t waste time or energy ruminating on your mistakes.
—Anne Sugar, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The intimate sketches of the private pop artist depict him socializing, ruminating, and — in one shot — standing shirtless and vulnerable, his scars visible from a 1968 assassination attempt.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Wednesday is ruminating on the big questions — who faked those patients’ deaths?
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
For instance, a depressed person may feel better in terms of their energy and sleep, but still have negative, ruminating thoughts.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
People filled comment sections for videos and posts about the shooting with unsympathetic replies, pointing out UnitedHealthcare’s reputation for denying claims, and ruminating on how much suffering Thompson was responsible for at the helm of the company.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024
The video was filmed at Van Dyke’s Malibu home and features the actor, known for his roles in classic movies Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ruminating about age, family, and love.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024
Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
Virgos are known for their analytical skills, but can be prone to taking the analysis a little too far and ruminating over matters.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Aug. 2025
Don’t waste time or energy ruminating on your mistakes.
—Anne Sugar, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The intimate sketches of the private pop artist depict him socializing, ruminating, and — in one shot — standing shirtless and vulnerable, his scars visible from a 1968 assassination attempt.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Wednesday is ruminating on the big questions — who faked those patients’ deaths?
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
For instance, a depressed person may feel better in terms of their energy and sleep, but still have negative, ruminating thoughts.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
People filled comment sections for videos and posts about the shooting with unsympathetic replies, pointing out UnitedHealthcare’s reputation for denying claims, and ruminating on how much suffering Thompson was responsible for at the helm of the company.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024
The video was filmed at Van Dyke’s Malibu home and features the actor, known for his roles in classic movies Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ruminating about age, family, and love.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminating
Verb
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In the eyes of many fans, discussions about musical quality have given way to conversations about who snitched; pondering an artist’s potential has been replaced by RICO speculation.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
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Also pondering shellfish, the German philosopher Carl du Prel insisted in 1885 that, in the wake of Darwin’s discoveries, people can no longer assume humans represent consciousness’s culmination in the Universe.—
Thomas Moynihan,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Even the upside-down notion of Fox News turning into a progressive network or other legacy Murdoch assets being transformed seemed to be scenarios worth contemplating.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
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The film’s title carries particular significance for Yoon, who has been contemplating it for 15 years.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Emery is more articulate than many, and debating the fairness of the current system is a worthy endeavour, but even that snippet was rooted in a generous interpretation of ‘good management’.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Prompted by a question his son had about the number pi, Brooks began debating math with ChatGPT – particularly the idea that numbers do not just stay the same and can change over time.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Now, the Heat are considering a reunion with a free agent former big man, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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The city of Fort Worth is considering changing land use rules for a handful of parcels to allow buildings up to 15 stories.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An international research team led by Tohoku University has uncovered the secret behind this biological capability by studying a specific set of neural mechanisms.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Sep. 2025
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By studying objects from beyond the solar system, researchers may be able to understand more about the outermost dwarf planets.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ripe figs are the star of this sophisticated salad, perfect for entertaining guests.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Sep. 2025
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Apart from one shocking death (when Tranter switches from neutralizing bombs up close to eliminating threats with his long-range rifle), the action is entertaining enough in the moment, but not especially memorable.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The documentary, a small-town cyberbullying case that resulted in an FBI investigation, tells the topsy-turvy story in a way that leaves you questioning almost every person involved.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Leadership in the National Institute of Health questioning the use of mRNA vaccines (which include COVID vaccines).—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The typical basking shark that local whale watches see are about 20 to 25 feet long, weighing several tons.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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When weighing your options, keep in mind key decision-making factors, such as how the event could directly benefit you, the overall cost and the potential return on investment.—
John Hall,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminating. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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