contemplate
verb
con·tem·plate ˈkän-təm-ˌplāt 
-ˌtem-
contemplated; contemplating
transitive verb
1
: to view or consider with continued attention : meditate on
contemplate the vastness of the universe
contemplated the meaning of the poem
2
: to view as likely or probable or as an end or intention
contemplate marriage
contemplated a move to Alaska
intransitive verb
: ponder, meditate
wanted time to just sit and contemplate
contemplator
ˈkän-təm-ˌplā-tər
noun -ˌtem
Synonyms
- chew over
- cogitate
- consider
- debate
- deliberate
- entertain
- eye
- kick around
- meditate
- mull (over)
- perpend
- ponder
- pore (over)
- question
- revolve
- ruminate
- study
- think (about or over)
- turn
- weigh
- wrestle (with)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He contemplated the meaning of the poem for a long time. I'd like some time to just sit and contemplate. She stood and quietly contemplated the scene that lay before her.
Recent Examples on the Web One was clear but painful to contemplate: How could their family go on without Luke? 
New York Times, 23 July 2022 Why anybody gives a gosh-darn about any of this is one of the many mysteries viewers must contemplate. oregonlive, 17 Aug. 2022 Relax in the spa, or contemplate your next meal poolside in the luxurious embrace of Auberge’s hospitality. Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 New district maps are causing some incumbents to run in neighboring districts, forcing them to campaign in unfamiliar territory and contemplate new living arrangements. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Polly Nordstrand, a Native American art curator and the exhibition’s organizer, hopes that visitors will contemplate artists’ role in edifying the values in the nation’s founding document. Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2022 Tennis, like all games, marks time in various ways, and, along with enduring, there is what Gauff and Świątek provided in Saturday’s final, regardless of the lopsided outcome: the chance to see and contemplate becoming. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 4 June 2022 But uncertainty persists as eight returning players contemplate their futures. Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Apr. 2022 The terrorist assault on Salman Rushdie on Friday morning, in western New York, was triply horrific to contemplate. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 See More
New York Times, 23 July 2022 Why anybody gives a gosh-darn about any of this is one of the many mysteries viewers must contemplate. oregonlive, 17 Aug. 2022 Relax in the spa, or contemplate your next meal poolside in the luxurious embrace of Auberge’s hospitality. Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 New district maps are causing some incumbents to run in neighboring districts, forcing them to campaign in unfamiliar territory and contemplate new living arrangements. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Polly Nordstrand, a Native American art curator and the exhibition’s organizer, hopes that visitors will contemplate artists’ role in edifying the values in the nation’s founding document. Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2022 Tennis, like all games, marks time in various ways, and, along with enduring, there is what Gauff and Świątek provided in Saturday’s final, regardless of the lopsided outcome: the chance to see and contemplate becoming. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 4 June 2022 But uncertainty persists as eight returning players contemplate their futures. Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Apr. 2022 The terrorist assault on Salman Rushdie on Friday morning, in western New York, was triply horrific to contemplate. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin contemplātus, past participle of contemplāre, contemplārī "to look at fixedly, observe, notice, ponder," from con- con- + -templāre, -templārī, verbal derivative of templum "space of sky or land delimited orally by an augur, sacred precinct, building consecrated to a deity" — more at temple entry 1
First Known Use
circa 1533, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
contemplate
verb
con·tem·plate ˈkän-təm-ˌplāt
contemplated; contemplating
1
: to look at with careful and thoughtful attention
2
: to think about deeply and carefully
3
: to have in mind : plan on
Maybe we should contemplate a trip to Europe.
contemplations
noun
1
as in meditations
long or deep thinking about spiritual matters the decision to enter a monastery and to spend one's life in prayer and contemplation Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- meditations
- introspections
- deliberations
- ruminations
- reveries
- retrospections
- musings
- studies
- muses
- cogitations
- trances
- reflections
- brown studies
- woolgatherings
2
as in anticipations
the act or state of looking forward to some occurrence in contemplation of their children's college expenses, they started saving early Synonyms & Similar Words
- anticipations
- expectations
- expectancies
- expectances
- prospects
- apprehensions
- misgivings
- forebodings
- alarums
- alarms
- dreads