Meaning & use
ruminative
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Thinking deeply and slowly about something, often returning to the same thoughts.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a verb: a ruminative mood, she seemed ruminative.
Patterns
- in a ruminative mood
- a ruminative look
He sat by the window in a ruminative mood.
Her ruminative letters wandered from memory to memory.
The ruminative walk gave him time to sort out his plans.
adjectivecomparabletechnical
Showing a tendency to dwell on troubles repeatedly, in a way that does not solve them.
Grammar: In psychology, often paired with thinking or style: ruminative thinking.
Patterns
- ruminative thinking
- a ruminative style
Ruminative thinking kept him awake at night.
Therapists help clients break out of a ruminative cycle.
A ruminative style can deepen sadness.
Word forms
| comparative | more ruminative |
|---|---|
| superlative | most ruminative |
Common combinations
- ruminative mood
- The long train ride put her in a ruminative mood.
- ruminative thinking
- Ruminative thinking can trap a person in worry.
- ruminative silence
- A ruminative silence filled the car.
- ruminative tone
- The poem has a quiet, ruminative tone.
- ruminative gaze
- He gave the horizon a ruminative gaze.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pensive
- Pensive means quietly and often sadly thoughtful, while ruminative suggests slow, repeated chewing over of an idea.
- contemplative
- Contemplative suggests calm, focused reflection, while ruminative can imply going in circles.
- reflective
- Reflective is the most neutral and can describe careful review of experience.
- brooding
- Brooding is darker and suggests gloomy worry, whereas ruminative can be calm.
Opposites
Word family
- ruminate verb
- to think deeply about something, or for cows to chew cud
- rumination noun
- deep, slow thought, or the chewing of cud
- ruminant noun
- a grass-eating animal such as a cow that chews cud
- ruminatively adverb
- in a deeply thoughtful way
Commonly confused: ruminative or ruminant? ruminative or rumbustious?
ruminative vs ruminant
A ruminant is an animal that chews cud, while ruminative describes thoughtful or brooding thinking.
ruminative vs rumbustious
Rumbustious means boisterous and noisy, which is the opposite mood to ruminative.
Practice
After the meeting, Jo sat alone in a ___ mood, going over each remark again.
Choose one answer.
Ruminative means slow, repeated thinking. Rambunctious means noisily energetic, reckless means careless, and radiant means glowing or joyful.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ruminative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.