meditative
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See pensive.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of meditative
From the Late Latin word meditātīvus, dating back to 1605–15. See meditate, -ive
Explanation
The adjective meditative is good for describing something that's reflective or deeply thoughtful. Your favorite movies might be quiet, slow-paced, and meditative. When you reflect on your life or an important decision, you are meditative, and anything that involves this state of mind can be described the same way. A yoga studio often has a meditative feeling about it, and good, thoughtful advice is usually offered in a meditative way. The root of meditative is the Latin word meditat, or "contemplated," which in turn comes from a Proto-Indo-European root that means "to measure, consider, or advise."
Vocabulary lists containing meditative
This Week in Pop Culture: January 19 - 25, 2019
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Our Town
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"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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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.
Meditative revelries from celebrities like Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri helped make film fandom cool — not to mention contagious.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2025
Meditative guitars lead into billowing, multitudinous vocal harmonies sustaining the song’s title above an orchestral backdrop.
From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2018
Meditative walks, hiking and river dips are also included.
From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2016
Meditative essays on the meaning of gaming, by a game designer and professor of interactive computing.
From Economist • Dec. 3, 2015
Meditative poetry is not Mr. Masefield's strongest claim to fame, and we do not go to poets for illuminating literary criticism.
From The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century by Phelps, William Lyon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
