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contemplative

American  
[kuhn-tem-pluh-tiv, kon-tuhm-pley-, -tem-] / kənˈtɛm plə tɪv, ˈkɒn təmˌpleɪ-, -tɛm- /

adjective

  1. given to or characterized by contemplation.

    a contemplative mind.
    Synonyms:
    meditative, reflective, thoughtful

noun

  1. a person devoted to contemplation, as a monk.

contemplative British  
/ -təm-, kənˈtɛmplə-, ˈkɒntɛmˌpleɪtɪv /

adjective

  1. denoting, concerned with, or inclined to contemplation; meditative

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person dedicated to religious contemplation or to a way of life conducive to this

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • contemplatively adverb
  • contemplativeness noun
  • noncontemplative adjective
  • noncontemplatively adverb
  • noncontemplativeness noun
  • uncontemplative adjective
  • uncontemplatively adverb
  • uncontemplativeness noun

Etymology

Origin of contemplative

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin contemplātīvus, from contemplāt(us) “surveyed, observed” ( contemplate ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English contemplatif, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.