RUMINATE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'ruminate' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of ruminate are meditate , muse , and ponder . While all these words mean "to consider or examine attentively or deliberately," ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption. // ruminated on past disappointments

Q: When is it sensible to use 'meditate' instead of 'ruminate'?

While in some cases nearly identical to ruminate , meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply. // meditated on the meaning of life

Q: When might 'muse' be a better fit than 'ruminate'?

The synonyms muse and ruminate are sometimes interchangeable, but muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance. // mused upon childhood joys

Q: When is 'ponder' a more appropriate choice than 'ruminate'?

Although the words ponder and ruminate have much in common, ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter. // pondered the course of action

ruminate

verb

ˈrü-mə-ˌnāt

Definition of ruminate next

as in to ponder

to give serious and careful thought to the minister hoped that the congregation would spend the remainder of the week ruminating the message of his sermon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How is the word ruminate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of ruminate are meditate, muse, and ponder. While all these words mean "to consider or examine attentively or deliberately," ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

When is it sensible to use meditate instead of ruminate?

While in some cases nearly identical to ruminate, meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

When might muse be a better fit than ruminate?

The synonyms muse and ruminate are sometimes interchangeable, but muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

When is ponder a more appropriate choice than ruminate?

Although the words ponder and ruminate have much in common, ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

Examples 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 ruminate Brian rants on about the pressures of manhood, and Melissa ruminates about feeling put down by their mother as Brian looks down from his pedestal. —

Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 20 Sep. 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 The versatile, always-all-in Mars is a worthy lodestar for Rosé and Rosie, an album that whirls through 21st-century pop idioms with aplomb even as its heroine ruminates on heartache and anxiety. —

Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024 Because they are fully engaged with a positive challenge rather than ruminating on the negative. —

Mark Murphy, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ruminate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminate

Verb

It's been too strange of a week to ponder things like slowing down Detroit's run game or improving the Titans' downfield attack.

Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Amid Musk's actions this week, Democrats and some Republicans are pondering whether Musk, not Trump, is the real leader of the Republican Party.

Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024