MEANING
1. To attend to something in sustained, thoughtful consideration.
2. To consider doing something in the future.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- contemplate a choice
On the page
She contemplated the choice in silence.
He contemplated the letter’s implications.
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- contemplate
- Past tense
- contemplated
- Past participle
- contemplated
- Present participle
- contemplating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- contemplate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are contemplating
- Present perfect
- have/has contemplated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been contemplating
- Past
- contemplated
- Past continuous
- was/were contemplating
- Past perfect
- had contemplated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been contemplating
- Future
- will contemplate
- Future continuous
- will be contemplating
- Future perfect
- will have contemplated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been contemplating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: contemplate; contemplates; contemplated; contemplated; contemplating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: contemplates.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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