- present participle of brood.
brooding
Americanadjective
-
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
Etymology
Origin of brooding
First recorded in 1810–20 brooding for def. 1; 1640–50 brooding for def. 2; brood + -ing 2
Explanation
When you're dwelling on something, you're brooding about it — this can be thoughtful or morbidly obsessed. When you're brooding, you might be depressed about something you just can't stop thinking about — like the lead character in Hamlet. Brooding can also mean you're being extremely thoughtful, contemplative, meditative, musing, reflective, or ruminative — those are all good things. You have to look at the context to see if someone is brooding in a positive or negative way. This is also a word for what chickens and other egg-laying animals do: sitting on eggs to help them hatch.
Vocabulary lists containing brooding
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Bless Me, Ultima
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
And of course the dipping chocolate, thick and hot, not terribly sweet, but brooding and smoky.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2026
The answer will almost single-handedly determine whether France can live up to its billing as a World Cup favorite or crash out in a drama of brooding resentment worthy of a Palme d’Or.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
It is a long time sitting and thinking and brooding.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Benet’s Michael doesn’t immediately leave us starstuck, but over the course of the musical he steals the show with his vocal prowess and brooding sincerity.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Oh, well, no good brooding about these things!
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
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.
