broody
Americanadjective
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moody; gloomy.
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inclined to sit on eggs.
a broody hen.
adjective
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moody; meditative; introspective
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(of poultry) wishing to sit on or hatch eggs
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informal (of a woman) wishing to have a baby of her own
Usage
What does broody mean? Broody is an adjective that means moody or gloomy, as in When I’m feeling broody, I paint dark pictures to match my mood. Broody is a neutral word. It describes a person’s emotions or personality. Sometimes, a fictional character who is broody is actually considered attractive or interesting. For example, Batman is a famously broody superhero, and many fans love him for it. Broody also describes an urge to sit on eggs, as in Our favorite hen is broody, sitting on her eggs all day long. Example: Whenever Jordan is feeling broody, he listens to sad music to help express how he feels.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of broody
Vocabulary lists containing broody
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.
The pink-hued Warner Bros. movie was pitted against Christopher Nolan’s broody “Oppenheimer” in the cinematic standoff now known as “Barbenheimer.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2023
Every sneaker-staring, guitar-hugging kid with a broody set of love songs who wants to stand up and play, drifts into this city.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2023
Pregnant at 23, married not long after, she had endured 14 years of bossy, broody cantankerousness from a man to whom marriage was “a tourniquet I didn’t think we could live without.”
From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2022
When British boy band One Direction, assembled on British talent show “The X Factor” in 2010, disassembled in early 2016, many assumed that beautiful, broody Zayn Malik would be the group’s breakout star.
From Washington Post • May 23, 2022
Frightful was too broody to notice what was going on below her, but not 426.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
