contemplation
Americannoun
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contemplations
plural
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the act of contemplating; thoughtful observation.
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full or deep consideration; reflection.
religious contemplation.
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purpose or intention.
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prospect or expectation.
noun
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thoughtful or long consideration or observation
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spiritual meditation esp (in Christian religious practice) concentration of the mind and soul upon God Compare meditation
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purpose or intention
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of contemplation
First recorded in 1175–1225; from Latin contemplātiōn-, stem of contemplātiō; equivalent to contemplate + -ion; replacing Middle English contemplaci(o)un, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Contemplation is long, hard thinking about something. If you’re writing a book on the meaning of the universe, then you’re going to need to do a great deal of contemplation. Contemplate has the word temple in its roots, and originally referred to the kind of thinking you do in a special space set aside for observation. Now we use it to describe any kind of thinking that we spend a long time doing. While clicking on someone’s photos on Facebook doesn’t count as contemplation, usually, you might spend hours in contemplation of your family and your history if you come across a box of old photos in the attic.
Vocabulary lists containing contemplation
Tuck Everlasting
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A Long Way Gone
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Siddhartha
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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.
See Examples For:
The room is described as a "calm, cosy place for contemplation" by the independent charity which looks after six royal sites and palaces.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
The pair’s voices complement each other, striking a balance between relaxed contemplation and intensity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Somers town court clerk said some defendants received a 6-month “adjournment in contemplation of dismissal,” meaning charges will be dropped and their arrest sealed if they avoid trouble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
“People don’t live their lives in contemplation of their divorce,” said Steven J. Mandel, a New York City divorce attorney and legal pioneer in same-sex splits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
Aberforth seemed lost in contemplation of his own knotted and veined hands.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
First, pessimism is the natural state for any contemplations of peace in the Middle East.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2025
Although it taps into the same aimlessness that fuels the other tracks on “Nacarile,” iLe considers it one of the more “hopeful” contemplations.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2023
My contemplations reeled to persons who had wronged me, and ways in which I might have revenge — all perfectly legal, of course.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
Schubert’s contemplations of mortality are thus not limited to the initial movement as the essay suggests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2020
The marble baths and the contemplations in the temples.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
