contemplation

noun

ˌkän-təm-ˈplā-shən How to pronounce contemplation (audio)
Definition of contemplationnext
1
as in meditation
long or deep thinking about spiritual matters the decision to enter a monastery and to spend one's life in prayer and contemplation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in anticipation
the act or state of looking forward to some occurrence in contemplation of their children's college expenses, they started saving early

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contemplation For so many of our entertainment heroes, considering their legacy is more about contemplation than unabashed celebration. — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025 The monastery is also home to pink-robe-wearing novice monks, who train at Taung Kalat, and yetis, or hermit monks, who glide in their peaked caps in quiet contemplation across the precariously balanced complex. — Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025 This is followed by solitary Bible study and contemplation. — Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 At the other end of Eilean Mòr, past a mossy Celtic cross standing like a lighthouse at the island’s tallest point, Sandy showed us the Cave of Saint Cormac, its opening hardly more than four feet high, where eighth-century monks used to retreat for periods of secluded contemplation. — Leslie Jamison, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contemplation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplation
  1. meditation
  2. anticipation
  3. expectation
Noun
  • At the time, the outlet also claimed that the two attended daily meditation sessions.
    — Esther Kang, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • One of the best LPs of that year, the music explored our ongoing ecological emergency, mustering up personal meditations from inside the climate crisis.
    — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of meditation
Noun
  • On the other side of the corridor, global fashion’s most important tastemakers wait with anticipation.
    — Courtney Crowder, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
  • The film’s first trailer release sparks new backlash, this time around its stars’ political leanings Instead of enthusiasm and anticipation for the movie, Disney’s first official Snow White trailer drop incurred the wrath of fans on either side of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of anticipation
Noun
  • This is where optimism or high expectations for the dawning season would be so far-fetched as to be preposterous.
    — Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
  • However, this mindset is suffocating and often only leads to further anxiety, stress and unrealistic expectations.
    — Kent Ingle, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of expectation

Browse Nearby Words

contemplating
contemplation
contemplations
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Cite this Entry

“Contemplation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemplation. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on contemplation

Nglish: Translation of contemplation for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about contemplation

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