Contemplation

//ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən// noun

noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of contemplating; musing; being highly concentrated in thought countable, uncountable

    "Now, 80 percent is accessible — quickly filling with exhibition spaces, stylish restaurants and cafes, bookstores, and highly profitable gift stores, as well as quiet walkways, shady stands of trees and odd nooks that invite contemplation of bygone dynasties."

  2. 2
    a long and thoughtful observation wordnet
  3. 3
    Holy meditation. countable, uncountable

    "Whilst he roamed about with his flocks, through ice and snow, communion with his God in prayer, and quiet contemplation, were his portion."

  4. 4
    a calm, lengthy, intent consideration wordnet
  5. 5
    The act of looking forward to a future event countable, uncountable
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  1. 6
    The state of being considered or planned. countable, uncountable

    "He concludes: "This letter is written in contemplation of legal proceedings, and is a pre-action protocol letter within the meaning of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998.""

Synonyms

All synonyms
a wise passivenessabsorbed attentionabsorptionadvisementaid prayerangelus

Example

More examples

"In the greatest of all works of art everything had been realized, I could give nothing, and my restless mind tired of passive contemplation."

Etymology

From Middle English contemplacioun, from Old French contemplation, from Latin contemplatio.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.