Skip to content
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

contemplative

/kənˈtɛmplətɪv/

Press play to hear how to pronounce contemplative.

American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
Watch on YouTube ↗

What does contemplative mean?

adjective

  1. Inclined to contemplate; introspective and thoughtful; meditative.
  2. Pertaining to a religious contemplative, or a contemplative religious orders, especially the Roman Catholic varieties.
  3. Relating to, or having the power of, contemplation.
More meanings (2)

adjective

  1. In a phase of mental activity in which one begins to recognize and acknowledge the maladaptiveness of someone's behavior (such as one's own, or that of a family member or friend); usually with reference to substance use.

noun

  1. Someone who has dedicated themselves to religious or philosophical contemplation.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/kənˈtɛmplətɪv/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈkɑntəmˌpleɪtɪv/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

He assented to everything that was proposed, talked very little, and led for a week a perfectly contemplative life.
Henry JamesRoderick HudsonProject Gutenberg ebook #176
In a contemplative fashion, And a tranquil frame of mind, Free from every kind of passion, Some solution let us find.
Arthur Sullivan; W. S. (William Schwenck) GilbertThe Complete Plays of Gilbert and SullivanProject Gutenberg ebook #808
More book examples (3)
She seemed stilled, almost alarmed, at what had occurred, while the novelty, unpremeditation, mastery of circumstance disquieted him—palpitating, contemplative being that he was.
Thomas HardyTess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure WomanProject Gutenberg ebook #110
He was awkward, but the contemplative man, on coming down from the region of thought on to our earth once more, only gropes along.
René DoumicGeorge Sand: Some Aspects of Her Life and WritingsTranslated by Alys HallardProject Gutenberg ebook #138
Traditionally, liberal culture has been linked to the notions of leisure, purely contemplative knowledge and a spiritual activity not involving the active use of bodily organs.
John DeweyDemocracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of EducationProject Gutenberg ebook #852