brooded

VERB

agonize over

Synonyms

STRONGEST

daydream fret grieve meditate mope ruminate sulk

STRONG

bleed consider deliberate despond dream gloom lament languish muse ponder reflect repine sigh speculate worry

WEAK

be in brown study chafe inwardly dwell upon eat one's heart out mull over stew over sweat out sweat over think about think upon

Antonyms

STRONGEST

be happy ignore neglect please

STRONG

disregard forget

WEAK

not worry

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But for the most part “Sweet Fortune” exults in romance — a shift from the singer’s previous record, 2023’s “Calico,” on which he brooded over a painful breakup.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

He brooded over his verses, revising them for years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

“My problem,” he writes, “was that I couldn’t completely dismiss such experiences with laughter. I brooded and tried to make sense of it beyond that provided by our ancestral wisdom.”

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2021

Most of the time, however, they waited and brooded.

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2020

After he had been brooded and warmed for an hour, he was suddenly voraciously hungry.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George