as in melancholy
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking
a ruminative man, who contributed to discussions only after he had completely thought things through
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Recent Examples of ruminative
But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.
—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
Their ruminative hush sets them apart in an era of instant-gratification drops.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
But as is fitting for a filmmaker pushing 80, awestruck innocence now co-exists with a more ruminative maturity, especially when touching on the secrecy, manipulation and deception of governmental power.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall and Timothy Spall also star in Tina Gharavi's SXSW London opener, which refashions Woolf's diffuse, ruminative feminist novel into a straightforwardly inspirational tale.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 June 2026
And keep in mind, Dosa’s film is a ruminative and poetic love letter to a glacier, so literally and figuratively super slow moving is the perfect rollout for a film like this.
—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
But nearly ten years on, as the world order unravels, the exhibition’s ruminative posture comes across as toothless and unfinished.
—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Documentarians Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who also gave us the ruminative Nick Cave portrait 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), use this as an elaborate framing device, the sort of oddball choice that doesn’t feel necessary yet also doesn’t detract from the goal at hand.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
Scarlet feels like his biggest movie yet, a ruminative war picture that stages medieval battles and pitches its characters through the mortal coil and back.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
Their ruminative hush sets them apart in an era of instant-gratification drops.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
But as is fitting for a filmmaker pushing 80, awestruck innocence now co-exists with a more ruminative maturity, especially when touching on the secrecy, manipulation and deception of governmental power.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall and Timothy Spall also star in Tina Gharavi's SXSW London opener, which refashions Woolf's diffuse, ruminative feminist novel into a straightforwardly inspirational tale.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 June 2026
And keep in mind, Dosa’s film is a ruminative and poetic love letter to a glacier, so literally and figuratively super slow moving is the perfect rollout for a film like this.
—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
But nearly ten years on, as the world order unravels, the exhibition’s ruminative posture comes across as toothless and unfinished.
—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Documentarians Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who also gave us the ruminative Nick Cave portrait 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), use this as an elaborate framing device, the sort of oddball choice that doesn’t feel necessary yet also doesn’t detract from the goal at hand.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
Scarlet feels like his biggest movie yet, a ruminative war picture that stages medieval battles and pitches its characters through the mortal coil and back.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminative
Adjective
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That melancholy was discovered by the Romantics, and, in its coarser variation, was equivalent to despair.
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The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.
Adjective
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High ceilings and generous proportions create volume, while thoughtful transitions blur the lines between interior and exterior, extending daily life beyond the home’s four walls.
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The bold contrast calls for thoughtful choices of wall color.
Adjective
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Was came from a working-class industrial city, making music reflective of Detroit’s technological upheaval and economic neglect.
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Practically architectural in its precision, her hair is pulled straight back and upwards without a visible part to create a smooth, downright reflective surface from her hairline to the crown.
Adjective
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Researchers have demonstrated that contemplative practices associated with emotional regulation can influence both psychological and physiological functioning.
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Its central hub, where the wellness offerings, main dining room and 35 of the 65 bedrooms are located, is invitingly curvaceous, with sci-fi swirls of walls and sparkling swathes of window bookended by two vast, contemplative courtyards.
Adjective
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John Malkovich looks pensive ahead of his guest appearance in Report on the Blind at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Sweden on June 22.
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For Waititi, the film has lots of comedic parts while retaining the pensive beauty of the original text.
Adjective
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In our column The Fourth Trimester, Betty Liu writes about the meditative nature of wonton folding.
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Outside, a landscaped terrace with original brickwork features native, medicinal plants and herbs for a true meditative essence.
Cite this Entry
“Ruminative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminative. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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