musing 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of musingnext
as in melancholy
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking he was clearly in a musing mood, and did not feel like talking just then

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

musing

2 of 3

noun

as in meditation

Synonyms & Similar Words

musing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of muse
as in pondering

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 musing
Noun
All of this is delivered like the frustrated musings of a friend. — Will Digravio, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025 Jane interprets her boss’ musings about what to do about Presley as a clear directive to kill the girl. — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025 So, per my annual custom, here are my musings on some of the standout acting nominees, as well as a few of the best performances of the year that went unrecognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025 Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com. — Gary Trust, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for musing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for musing
  1. melancholy
  2. meditation
  3. pondering
  4. thoughtful
  5. contemplation
  6. ruminating
  7. reflective
  8. reverie
Adjective
  • The Welsh quartet’s Dead Meat follow-up takes DNA from the Smiths’ melancholy exuberance, the Go-Betweens’ windswept gusto, and gung-ho London punk fervor to formulate a disempowered power-pop that spins insecurity and grief into bundles of melodic joy.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Luckily, Pattinson manages to keep things buoyant without diluting the late-capitalism metaphors or the melancholy existentialism.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • While Pasolini delivers his meditations to clergy members gathered at the Vatican, the pope listens from his hospital room, though the attendees cannot see or hear him.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Practicing mindful breathing meditation, although research on its effectiveness in improving executive functions is mixed.
    — Dominique Fluker, Essence, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of meditation
Verb
  • School Board members are now pondering the idea of asking voters for another bond in the future.
    — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 29 Dec. 2024
  • There may be some benefit from these policies, but business leaders pondering their 2025 plans will want to focus on their own labor needs.
    — Bill Conerly, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of pondering
Adjective
  • Every question elicits a thoughtful pause and an even more thoughtful answer.
    — Damien Scott, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2025
  • However, with thoughtful development practices, robust oversight and inclusive design, AI can become a powerful tool for creating a more equitable society.
    — Swati Tyagi, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of thoughtful
Noun
  • And, where many other Stoic writers suggest seeking the divine through contemplation of the stars or natural landscapes, Pliny does the same with bugs and grubs.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 5 Mar. 2025
  • In the weeks before the election, former President Barack Obama gave moral sermons and philosophical treatises on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign, his speeches suggesting that politics still existed in a social atmosphere of contemplation and debate.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Definition of contemplation
Verb
  • For instance, a depressed person may feel better in terms of their energy and sleep, but still have negative, ruminating thoughts.
    — Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
  • People filled comment sections for videos and posts about the shooting with unsympathetic replies, pointing out UnitedHealthcare’s reputation for denying claims, and ruminating on how much suffering Thompson was responsible for at the helm of the company.
    — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of ruminating
Adjective
  • William, 42, sported the camouflage fatigues reflective of his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Merican Regiment, an Army unit involved there, to hear about how the soldiers are securing NATO's eastern flank as part of Operation Cabrit.
    — Janine Henni, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Stock performance is not reflective of the value of an economy on an absolute level, said TradeStation’s Russell.
    — John Towfighi, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of reflective
Noun
  • Flores makes this explicit from the first scene, in which Neftalí puts on a piece of music that provokes an out-of-body reverie.
    — David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Make your way to the anniversary party on opening night in style with your favorite streamer’s reverie strutting through the French Quarter behind a brass band playing some familiar scores, creepy characters, and you.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of reverie

Browse Nearby Words

musing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Musing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/musing. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on musing

Nglish: Translation of musing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All