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.
From her dressing work for the likes of Ye and Don Toliver, to her brooding, textured paintings and sculptural vessels, she conjures beauty into something we can see and touch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
In 2026, our paragons of masculinity are brooding, burly—and smooth as dolphins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Among the recipients is Sheffield folk singer Jim Ghedi, who was able to tour his brooding 2025 album Wasteland to a wider audience as a result.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
A dull yellow light peeks through a brooding sky looming over rolling Southern California hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
He can’t work anymore, and he’s just sitting at home, surrounded by his eight children, brooding about his approaching death.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
