as in fretting
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in boiling
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam
stew the chicken till tender, and then remove the meat from the bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in worrying
to experience concern or anxiety
stop stewing over that game and just try to do better next time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stewing
Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After two-plus days of stewing over the no-show against the Rockets, including a team meeting on Saturday and a rare Sunday morning shootaround, the Lakers found themselves in the second quarter, with Doncic scoring 15 of his 24 first-half points in the period for a 68-53 halftime lead.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Add the stewing beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
There is nothing this pot can’t do—braising, baking, stewing, frying.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
It’s been more than a week and people are still stewing about it.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Right now, Combs is still stewing in the MDC, but he is expected to be moved to a cushier and more low security facility in the NYC area in the near future.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
The sauce, a velvety broth, is a mixture of natural juices and stewing ingredients, sometimes thickened with flour.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
While Alex is stewing over her giant pot of daddy issues, Mia and Stella have their own problem now that Alex is being removed from pre-Olympics coverage.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
Not so Wolverhampton Wanderers or West Ham United, who really are stewing in their own juices.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After two-plus days of stewing over the no-show against the Rockets, including a team meeting on Saturday and a rare Sunday morning shootaround, the Lakers found themselves in the second quarter, with Doncic scoring 15 of his 24 first-half points in the period for a 68-53 halftime lead.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Add the stewing beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
There is nothing this pot can’t do—braising, baking, stewing, frying.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
It’s been more than a week and people are still stewing about it.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Right now, Combs is still stewing in the MDC, but he is expected to be moved to a cushier and more low security facility in the NYC area in the near future.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
The sauce, a velvety broth, is a mixture of natural juices and stewing ingredients, sometimes thickened with flour.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
While Alex is stewing over her giant pot of daddy issues, Mia and Stella have their own problem now that Alex is being removed from pre-Olympics coverage.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stewing
Verb
-
We roasted tomatoes, garlic and chiles for red salsa, mixed corn flour with pork fat for the tamale batter, and roasted ancho chiles before frying them in oil and boiling them in chicken stock for the 27-ingredient mole sauce.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
My WhatsApp was boiling with messages and videos.—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Homeowners can prep, cook, and bake without worrying about the impact on another room.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The quintessential late-’80s teen, Ryder here plays a fretful mom.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
27 Nov. 2025
-
But that doesn’t mean viewers won’t be increasingly exasperated by the ways the screenplay forces Knightley’s character into a clumsy, fretful investigation.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Using a spoon, make a whirlpool in center of simmering water in saucepan.—
Amanda Stanfield,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The film is described as a powerful coming-of-age drama focused on a family where violence and manipulation are always simmering under the surface.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But workers should adjust their expectations and recognize that some companies aren’t fretting about whether or not their employees can adapt to AI.—
Kevin Oakes,
Fortune,
17 Dec. 2025
-
Songwriters expressing pangs of grief for what once was held court with others fretting about undesirable futures and still others dreaming up cooler tomorrows.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Brooding in the historical background are the plantations, the vexed issue of where the money comes from that underwrites all this charm, these impeccable manners, this unsteady gaiety.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
The vexed issue has been a matter of negotiation between actors’ union Equity and producer trade body Pact for more than a year.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stewing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stewing. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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