contemplative

[ kuhn-tem-pluh-tiv, kon-tuhm-pley-, -tem- ]
See synonyms for contemplative on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. given to or characterized by contemplation: a contemplative mind.

noun
  1. a person devoted to contemplation, as a monk.

Origin of contemplative

1
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin contemplātīvus, from contemplāt(us) “surveyed, observed” (see contemplate) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English contemplatif, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

Other words for contemplative

Other words from contemplative

  • con·tem·pla·tive·ly, adverb
  • con·tem·pla·tive·ness, noun
  • non·con·tem·pla·tive, adjective
  • non·con·tem·pla·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·con·tem·pla·tive·ness, noun
  • un·con·tem·pla·tive, adjective
  • un·con·tem·pla·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·con·tem·pla·tive·ness, noun

Words Nearby contemplative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use contemplative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contemplative

contemplative

/ (ˈkɒntɛmˌpleɪtɪv, -təm-, kənˈtɛmplə-) /


adjective
  1. denoting, concerned with, or inclined to contemplation; meditative

noun
  1. a person dedicated to religious contemplation or to a way of life conducive to this

Derived forms of contemplative

  • contemplatively, adverb
  • contemplativeness, noun

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