as in melancholy
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking
a ruminative man, who contributed to discussions only after he had completely thought things through
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Recent Examples of ruminative
But nearly ten years on, as the world order unravels, the exhibition’s ruminative posture comes across as toothless and unfinished.
—
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
The track is focused but ruminative, mirroring the circular way thoughts orbit an obsession.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Documentarians Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who also gave us the ruminative Nick Cave portrait 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), use this as an elaborate framing device, the sort of oddball choice that doesn’t feel necessary yet also doesn’t detract from the goal at hand.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
Contemplating passing seasons and dead flowers, Weir’s deep, lava lamp-like flow of a vocal is as sadly ruminative as Barlow’s lyrics.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
Set in Los Angeles, this ruminative novel alternates in perspective between a blockbuster actor, his best friend and sometime lover, and an aspiring screenwriter.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Scarlet feels like his biggest movie yet, a ruminative war picture that stages medieval battles and pitches its characters through the mortal coil and back.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
The track is focused but ruminative, mirroring the circular way thoughts orbit an obsession.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Documentarians Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who also gave us the ruminative Nick Cave portrait 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), use this as an elaborate framing device, the sort of oddball choice that doesn’t feel necessary yet also doesn’t detract from the goal at hand.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
Contemplating passing seasons and dead flowers, Weir’s deep, lava lamp-like flow of a vocal is as sadly ruminative as Barlow’s lyrics.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
Set in Los Angeles, this ruminative novel alternates in perspective between a blockbuster actor, his best friend and sometime lover, and an aspiring screenwriter.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Scarlet feels like his biggest movie yet, a ruminative war picture that stages medieval battles and pitches its characters through the mortal coil and back.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminative
Adjective
-
The Chicago composer has achieved viral success with her melancholy instrumental music, but her return to traditional singer-songwriter fare yields mixed results.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The specific kind of melancholy that only exists between Halloween and the first real snow.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
One thoughtful adjustment keeps things on track.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
-
Friends and colleagues close to King said they were saddened by his death, but remembered him as a hard-working and demanding judge who was also thoughtful and fair.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
The youngins also want a yacht that is design-forward and reflective of their taste.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
2 May 2026
-
The move feels reflective of the state of things.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The partnership will be unveiled at the Chiostro del Cappuccio location with an immersive scenography conceived as a contemplative environment.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Mindfulness and contemplative solitude can strengthen your ability to regulate emotions and recover from stress.—
Keith M. Bellizzi,
The Conversation,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His 2025 tape, WOMB, embodied this through his pensive grumbles over wispy vocal chops; each bar that cut through the fog was steeped in sober gravitas.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The subject is pensive, expressionless and looking away from the camera.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi’s meditative drama, three people in three different eras explore the sentience of flora, each timeline connecting to the others through a gingko tree that’s been growing since 1832 in the botanical gardens adjacent to Marburg University in Germany.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
Through meditative, cinematic landscapes, THE SANDBOX explores global borders where surveillance and AI shape who lives and who dies.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruminative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminative. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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