Synonym Chooser

How is the word ruminate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of ruminate are meditate, muse, and ponder. While all these words mean "to consider or examine attentively or deliberately," ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

When is it sensible to use meditate instead of ruminate?

While in some cases nearly identical to ruminate, meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

When might muse be a better fit than ruminate?

The synonyms muse and ruminate are sometimes interchangeable, but muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

When is ponder a more appropriate choice than ruminate?

Although the words ponder and ruminate have much in common, ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

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 ruminate Times critic Swed ruminates on the possibility of Salonen playing a transitional role for a couple years while the search continues for a permanent successor. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025 In severe depression and anxiety, there is often a cycle of ruminating negative thoughts. David Oliver, USA Today, 16 May 2025 Your nighttime anxiety is working overtime Waking up at 3 a.m. and ruminating over past events is often a sign of stress misfiring. Dr. Samanta Dall’agnese, CNBC, 13 May 2025 The film, which ruminates on love and loss, revolves around a musician who is hired by a two-time lottery winner to perform a private gig on an isolated island. Nicole Sperling, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ruminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminate
Verb
  • Tyler Dragon ponders if Rodgers actually makes the Steelers better.
    Jim Reineking, USA Today, 7 June 2025
  • The cuts come as Warner Bros. Discovery is said to be pondering a possible spinoff of its declining cable TV assets, which include its Turner channels, Discovery Networks, HGTV and Food Network, similar to what Comcast is doing with its NBCUniversal cable outlets (with the exception of Bravo).
    Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • These appear to be slightly more survivable, although the casualty rate is so high no Western army would contemplate such tactics.
    David Hambling, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Smart’s captors subjected her to rape daily, something that drove her to the point of contemplating suicide.
    Stephanie Kaloi, People.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Local entertainers, from hip-hop artists to visual artists, entertained the crowd for four hours, showing off their talents.
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2025
  • The day of 19th-century-style outdoor recreation will feature a variety of traditional lawn games that once entertained early Californians, such as wheelbarrow races, sack races and tug-of-war.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • While the cause and eventual outcome can be debated, the immediate impact was felt with shares of Tesla falling 14% on Thursday.
    JJ Kinahan, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • The Senate passed the bill on a vote of 19 to 13, which happened more than 16 hours after the chamber was scheduled to debate it.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • The practices once reserved for the Baloch, considered lesser citizens, are now expanding to other parts of Pakistan.
    Mahrang Baloch, Time, 10 June 2025
  • Audiences will witness the events that fractured the bond between Gojo, often considered the most powerful sorcerer in the series, and Geto, who would later become a formidable antagonist.
    Jamie Lang, Variety, 10 June 2025
Verb
  • And though regrowing entire human limbs still seems like the distant stuff of science fiction, Monaghan said studying the signaling function of retinoic acid in these amphibians could help develop new human healing methods and gene therapies.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
  • Phillippe and Brubaker both attended the University of California, Berkeley Both Brubaker and Phillippe studied at the University of California, Berkeley, for their undergraduate degrees.
    Caroline Blair, People.com, 12 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ruminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminate. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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