contemplative
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- contemplatively adverb
- contemplativeness noun
- noncontemplative adjective
- noncontemplatively adverb
- noncontemplativeness noun
- uncontemplative adjective
- uncontemplatively adverb
- uncontemplativeness noun
Etymology
Origin of contemplative
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin contemplātīvus, from contemplāt(us) “surveyed, observed” ( contemplate ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English contemplatif, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above
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.
“Aunt Kate,” I whispered some time later as the rocking rhythm of the train lulled us not to sleep, but to some tense, contemplative place.
From Literature
Others have focused attention on the distance between these contemplative writings and the facts of Marcus’ political career.
The contemplative cinema of Béla Tarr was as excruciatingly beautiful as it was brazenly original, often conjuring comparison to the work of a master painter.
From Los Angeles Times
As for artfully implying this event picture’s deft blend of action and drama, the campaign chose a contemplative, mournful image of its star for the main poster.
From Los Angeles Times
“No matter how mundane some action might appear,” he writes, “keep at it long enough and it becomes a contemplative, even meditative act.”
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.
