ponder

verb

pon·der ˈpän-dər

pondered; pondering ˈpän-d(ə-)riŋ

Synonyms of ponder next

transitive verb

: to weigh in the mind : appraise

pondered their chances of success

: to think about : reflect on

pondered the events of the day

intransitive verb

: to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply

ponderer

ˈpän-dər-ər

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for ponder

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately.

ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Examples of ponder in a Sentence

He pondered the question before he answered. The team pondered their chances of success. We pondered whether we could afford the trip.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Thanks to these translations, English-speaking readers are in a better position to ponder the mystery of how a timid, apolitical newspaperman wrote one of the most haunting novels of the age of Fascism and war. —

Christopher Tayler, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 Looking down to the field from a suite before kickoff, Griffin pondered making the Rose Bowl a regular host of national championship games. —

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025 There may be some benefit from these policies, but business leaders pondering their 2025 plans will want to focus on their own labor needs. —

Bill Conerly, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 This has lead Democrats, and some Republicans, to ponder whether Musk is the real leader of the Republican party, not Trump. —

Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ponder