Do you know the definition of brooding? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word brooding, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

What does the word brooding mean?

According to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language and Cambridge English Language Dictionary, the word brooding is an adjective that can be used to mean feeling sad, worries, angry, or uncomfortable, as well as the present tense form of the verb brood, meaning to ruminate. Someone who is brooding might write poetry in the subdued light of dusk or twilight to release their emotions. This brooding frame of mind might cause a melancholy young man to think of painful memories. Brooding seriousness is not healthy long term. If you feel sad all the time, seek help.

While brooding can refer to chickens or a brood hen using the warmth of the body and her feathers to incubate and hatch eggs in a nest, the word brooding is commonly used in a much more figurative sense. Not all who brood are taking after a broody hen, but they do figuratively participate in pondering or ruminating on something for a long time, like a flock of females with their fertile eggs. A mother bird has the instinct to sit on her clutch of eggs when hormones are released. She sits on top of the eggs in her own space, and can hatch chicks for the rest of her life. In a factory farm, this might be indoors, but it could be in an outdoor shelter for free-range eggs.

Many different languages also contain words meaning brooding. You may notice that some of these words look similar to the word brooding. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that look, sound, and eman smiler things across languages. These cognates are often formed when two words share the same root or language of origin, like Latin or Greek. This list of translations for the word brooding is provided by Word Sense.

Romanian: cloci‎
Portuguese: ruminar‎
Italian: covare‎, rimuginare‎, arrovellarsi‎
Finnish: hautoa‎
French: se morfondre‎, broyer du noir‎
Dutch: broeden‎, piekeren‎
Swedish: ruva‎ (intensively), älta‎ (moodily and obsessively)
Hungarian: kotlik‎
Friulian: clucî‎
German: brüten‎
Maori: whakapaeko‎, whakapuke‎, whakapupuke‎, whēnakonako‎, whēnako‎
Greek: αναλογίζομαι‎
Bulgarian: размислям се‎

How can the word brooding be used in a sentence?

The word brooding can be used in many different contexts to describe someone who is sad and angry, or someone who is ruminating on something. In this example, a mother and father talk about their teenage son.

Dad: What is up with Tyler these days? He’s always so angry, stomping around the house. I asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner and it was like I kicked him out of the house.

Mom: Ah yes, the teenage brooding phase. I know it well. We’re in for a treat.

Here, the mom describes the brooding phase that many teens experience.

What is the origin of the word brooding?

According to Etymonline, the word brooding has been used as an adjective since the 1640s to mean hovering or persistently overhanging. This word has been used as a noun since 1400 to refer to the action of incubation. It has been used figuratively to describe weather since 1805 and to describe mental fixations since 1973. The word brooding comes from the word brood.

What are synonyms and antonyms for the word brooding?

There are many different words that have the same meaning as the word brooding. These are called synonyms. Synonyms are a great tool to learn because they can help you avoid repeating yourself and they can also help you to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word brooding is provided by Thesaurus.

brainstorm
fume
chagrin
torment
sweat it out
mull over
chafe inwardly
fuss
sigh
pout
reflect
lament
gloom
carp
ponder
contemplate
meditate
eat one’s heart out
distress oneself
deliberate
revolve
fret
take on
carry a heavy load
daydream
be in brown study
anguish
despond
sweat over
consider
dwell upon
upset oneself
muse
sulk
bleed
stew
lose sleep over
grieve
weigh
agonize
sweat out
stew about
think about
use one’s head
get into a dither
pother
figure
repine
excogitate
think
languish
speculate
stew over
affront
mope
worry
think upon
chafe
dream
turn over
rack one’s brains
ruminate
bother
cogitate
chew over

There are also numerous different words that have the opposite meaning as the word brood. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are another quick and easy way to expand your knowledge of the English language. This list of antonyms for the word brooding is also provided by Thesaurus.

brush off
snub
laugh off
contemn
slight
pooh-pooh
turn back on
overlook
let go
disobey
blink
discount
vilipend
disregard
wink at
forget
neglect
overpass
leave out of account
brush away
pass over
ignore
bury one’s head in sand
take no notice
look the other way
pay no attention to
live with
omit
shut eyes to
disparage
tune out
disdain
turn blind eye
pay no heed to
fail
have no use for
pay no mind
blink at
wink
turn deaf ear
cold-shoulder
scorn
brush aside
turn a blind eye
let pass
miss
let off easy
be oblivious to
reject
turn a deaf ear
evade
let it go
take no notice of
avoid
despise

Overall, the word brooding is an adjective that describes someone who is sad and angsty. This is also the present tense form of the verb brood. This can be used in many different ways to describe someone who is ruminating or moping about something.

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.