meditative
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See pensive.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of meditative
From the Late Latin word meditātīvus, dating back to 1605–15. See meditate, -ive
Explanation
The adjective meditative is good for describing something that's reflective or deeply thoughtful. Your favorite movies might be quiet, slow-paced, and meditative. When you reflect on your life or an important decision, you are meditative, and anything that involves this state of mind can be described the same way. A yoga studio often has a meditative feeling about it, and good, thoughtful advice is usually offered in a meditative way. The root of meditative is the Latin word meditat, or "contemplated," which in turn comes from a Proto-Indo-European root that means "to measure, consider, or advise."
Vocabulary lists containing meditative
This Week in Pop Culture: January 19 - 25, 2019
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Our Town
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"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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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.
Last summer, he spent time training with Shaolin monks in China, the images of shaved-head Wemby in robes practicing martial arts, and there’s a meditative quality to his game.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Sonny Rollins, the "Saxophone Colossus" whose hard-charging yet flowingly meditative works made him the last in a golden era of jazz greats, died Monday.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
There is "something sort of meditative" about the process, he says.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
It wants you to feel that nightmare scenario of being stuck, but it also wants to be meditative.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Which, you see, Pip,” said Joe, pausing in his meditative raking of the fire, and looking at me, “were a drawback on my learning.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
