contemplative
[kuhn-tem-pluh-tiv, kon-tuhm-pley-, -tem-]
- given to or characterized by contemplation: a contemplative mind.
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- a person devoted to contemplation, as a monk.
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Origin of contemplative
1300–50; < Latin contemplātīvus, equivalent to contemplāt(us) (see contemplate) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English contemplatif < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
introspective, reflective, thoughtful, pensive, meditative, thinking, intent, musing, lost, attentive, rapt, speculative, cogitative, ruminative, pondering, reflectingExamples from the Web for contemplative
Contemporary Examples
But it was that period in her life, when her career was just taking shape, that produces her most contemplative answers.
I found their melancholy inviting and I appreciated their contemplative, lonely world.
Though the scene is spare, the effect is powerful: bright, solemn, contemplative.
But which I think has been slightly overstated – there's a contemplative upside to living in and among minimal sculptural forms.
The spokesman for the office said that Jalics is leading a contemplative retreat until May 10, and cannot be reached.
Historical Examples
Plato perceived that the contemplative maiden was busy with memories of the past.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
You, Caroline, are of a more sedate, contemplative character.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
The whole suggestion is of a character self-absorbed and contemplative.
Shelley, Godwin and Their CircleH. N. Brailsford
He sat in contemplative silence a little while, his voice low when he spoke.
The Duke Of Chimney ButteG. W. Ogden
The brother's contemplative smile seemed a comment upon this tone.
The Market-PlaceHarold Frederic
contemplative
- denoting, concerned with, or inclined to contemplation; meditative
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- a person dedicated to religious contemplation or to a way of life conducive to this
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for contemplative
adj.
mid-14c., from Old French contemplatif (12c.), from Latin contemplativus, from contemplat-, past participle stem of contemplari (see contemplation).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper