Synonyms

brooding

American

[broo-ding] / ˈbru dɪŋ /

adjective

preoccupied with depressing, morbid, or painful memories or thoughts.

a brooding frame of mind.
cast in subdued light so as to convey a somewhat threatening atmosphere.

Dusk fell on the brooding hills.

Other Word Forms

broodingly adverb
nonbrooding adjective
unbrooding adjective

Etymology

Origin of brooding

First recorded in 1810–20 brooding for def. 1; 1640–50 brooding for def. 2; brood + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While Mescal’s no stranger to playing the put-upon father in his relatively brief yet prolific career, his brooding verges on laughable.

From Salon

The result was a steady shift in the music-rich island from joyous ska and soulful rock-steady to reggae, a more brooding genre that addressed social and personal issues.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Christopher is terrific as the brooding Anatoly, who after defecting sings the first-act curtain number, “Anthem,” with both plush vocalism and fiery emotion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Darbyshire's vocals gave the group a soulful edge, particularly on the brooding ballad Room In Your Heart.

From BBC

Wildflowers flashed like fireflies in the brooding jungle of “Floral Entrapment II,” which artist Ema Ri made by applying paint with their hands and nails.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023