- present participle of muse.
musing
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of musing
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see muse, -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
Use the adjective musing to describe something that's reflective or thoughtful, like a musing diary entry that explores the meaning of life. When you ponder or contemplate, you muse, and anything that appears this way can be described as musing. You might love your English teacher's musing responses to students' questions or grow bored by a French film's slow, musing quality. You can also use the word as a noun meaning "period of reflection," although it's most often written as the plural musings: "This book is nothing but the author's musings about his cat."
Vocabulary lists containing musing
Our Town
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Just Mercy
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"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d" by Walt Whitman
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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.
Jouppi is the case that asks them to stop musing.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Later, Feinmann said his words were not directed at the Mexican people — while musing that Sheinbaum had bigger things to worry about, like combating narco-trafficking, violence and corruption.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
He noted however that Cuba has "a beautiful piece of land," musing: "You could have beautiful resorts."
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
The co-author of a report musing about artificial intelligence disrupting a host of businesses says he was betting those companies would go down in value.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
In the middle of my musing she turned to look in my direction and caught me staring at her.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
