Contemplate

/ˈkɑn.təmˌpleɪt/ · verb

Meaning

To look at on all sides or in all its aspects; to view or consider with continued attention; to regard with deliberate care; to meditate on; to study, ponder, or consider..

Definitions by Sense

1. To look at on all sides or in all its aspects; to view or consider with continued attention; to regard with deliberate care; to meditate on; to study, ponder, or consider.
2. To consider as a possibility.

Example Sentences

To love, at least contemplate and admire, / What I see excellent.

We thus dilate / Our spirits to the size of that they contemplate.

I contemplated doing the project myself, but it would have taken too long.

There remain some particulars to complete the information contemplated by those resolutions.

If a treaty contains any stipulations which contemplate a state of future war.

In Calcutta, season tickets are issued only for the calendar month, with a different colour for each month, so that this problem does not arise. The merest whisper of an idea to change Bombay to the Calcutta system brought such a howl of protest in the Press, that it was never seriously contemplated.

Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.

Synonyms for contemplate

Antonyms for contemplate

Related Words

Word Forms

• contemplates
• contemplating
• contemplated

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions