broody

[ broo-dee ]

adjective

, brood·i·er, brood·i·est.

1. moody; gloomy.
2. inclined to sit on eggs:

   a broody hen.

broody

/ ˈbruːdɪ /

adjective

1. moody; meditative; introspective
2. (of poultry) wishing to sit on or hatch eggs
3. informal.
   (of a woman) wishing to have a baby of her own

Derived Forms

• ˈbroodiness, noun

Other Words From

• broodi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of broody¹

First recorded in 1505–15; brood + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The “La La Land” and “The Notebook” star, who is a noted musician as well, then took a seat behind a large black piano and donned dark sunglasses for the broody satire.

From Los Angeles Times

Stewart’s non-gender-conforming streak started to surface in her portrayal of broody heroine Bella Swan in the “Twilight” saga, which the actor said in a January interview with Variety had a “very Gothic, gay inclination.”

From Los Angeles Times

A broody loner and inveterate reader of fat, dog-eared paperbacks by Dostoyevsky and Flaubert, our heroine is not entirely unsocialized: There’s the sympathetic paramour dubbed “maybe-boyfriend” and a rapscallion pile of small siblings known as “wee sisters.”

From New York Times

Lucifer seemed likely to trounce broody hero Dream initially — until he asked, “What kills hope?”

From Los Angeles Times

Will often go broody; excellent for raising chicks from fertile eggs.

From Literature

Related Words

• depressed
• dismal
• dour
• forlorn
• glum
• melancholy
• miserable
• pessimistic
• sad
• solemn
• sullen
• ugly