Meaning & use
broody
Last updated
Sulky, withdrawn, or deep in unhappy thought.
See it in a sentence
He's been broody all week, barely speaking to anyone at work.
She fell into a broody silence after the disappointing news.
A note on using this word
Also describes a hen's instinct to sit on eggs to hatch them, a distinct but common secondary meaning.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
(of a hen) wanting to sit on eggs in order to hatch them.
The farmer separated the broody hen from the rest of the flock.
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