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View synonyms for ruminate

ruminate

[ roo-muh-neyt ]

verb (used without object)

, ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing.
  1. to meditate or muse; ponder.

    Synonyms: reflect, think

  2. Psychology. to obsessively revisit the same thought or theme over and over again.
  3. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.


verb (used with object)

, ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing.
  1. to chew again or over and over.
  2. to meditate on; ponder.

ruminate

/ ˈruːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

  1. (of ruminants) to chew (the cud)
  2. whenintr, often foll by upon, on, etc to meditate or ponder (upon)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈruminatively, adverb
  • ˈrumiˌnator, noun
  • ˌrumiˈnation, noun
  • ˈruminative, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ru·mi·nat·ing·ly adverb
  • ru·mi·na·tion [roo-m, uh, -, ney, -sh, uh, n] noun
  • ru·mi·na·tive adjective
  • ru·mi·na·tive·ly adverb
  • ru·mi·na·tor noun
  • non·ru·mi·nat·ing adjective
  • non·ru·mi·nat·ing·ly adverb
  • non·ru·mi·na·tive adjective
  • un·ru·mi·nat·ed adjective
  • un·ru·mi·nat·ing adjective
  • un·ru·mi·nat·ing·ly adverb
  • un·ru·mi·na·tive adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ruminate1

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin rūminātus (past participle of rūminārī, rūmināre “to ruminate”), equivalent to rūmin- (stem of rūmen “throat, gullet”; rumen ) + -ātus past participle suffix ( -ate 1 )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ruminate1

C16: from Latin rūmināre to chew the cud, from rumen
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Example Sentences

In one July show, he jokingly ruminated about what Swalwell looked like while having sex with Fang.

Veres swivels his chair toward his ruminating friend and assures him there’ll be other opportunities.

A 2014 study published in Biological Psychology found that for people with depression, simply ruminating on troubles may prolong cortisol production.

Even hiking along and ruminating about what happened yesterday or what’s going on at that very moment is journaling.

In particular, she ruminates over Klaas’s disappearance as possibly part of a pattern that includes the fictional Cameron’s kidnapping.

Perceptive fiction has always been a venue for society to ruminate on the moral issues of the day.

They post OOTDs (outfits of the day) and ruminate on body positivity.

We need not grovel in the sinks and cellars, neither need we ruminate upon the house-tops.

He has but one stomach, does not ruminate, and is formed more like the horse than the ox, or other ruminating animals.

It is not a book to be read through at one sitting, but one to dip into occasionally and to ruminate over in pleased contentment.

The wretched Camilla quitted them all as soon as possible, to retire to her chamber, and ruminate upon her purposed letter.

But, being a mother, it was inevitable that she should soon cease to ruminate upon her own condition.

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Related Words

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More About Ruminate

What does ruminate mean?

To ruminate is to carefully think something over, ponder it, or meditate on it.

It can also mean to chew over and over again, as is done by ruminant animals, like cows.

In psychology, the term means to obsessively repeat thoughts or excessively think about problems.

In all cases, the process of ruminating is called rumination.

Example: After ruminating about it for months, I have decided to pursue a new career.

Where does ruminate come from?

The first records of ruminate come from the 1500s. It derives from the Latin verb rūmināre, meaning “to chew the cud.” Rūmināre comes from the Latin rūmen, which gives us the English rumen—the first of four compartments in the stomach of ruminant animals. Such animals, like cows, eat grass, swallow it, and then regurgitate it and chew it some more. When the food is regurgitated to be chewed again, it’s called cud.

You can see how this process of chewing and rechewing can be used figuratively: when you ruminate on something, you think it over. In fact, the idioms chew it over and chew the cud both refer to contemplating something for a while. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Ruminating over a problem might give you a good perspective on it. But sometimes you might not be able to stop ruminating. Psychologists use the word to refer to obsessively repeating a particular thought or continuing to think about something, especially a problem, over and over instead of finding a solution or moving on.

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What are some other forms related to ruminate?

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How is ruminate used in real life?

Ruminate can be used in both positive and negative ways: it can refer to thoroughly thinking something over, or to overthinking it.

 

 

Try using ruminate!

Is ruminate used correctly in the following sentence? 

My insomnia gets worse when I ruminate about all the mistakes I’ve ever made.

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