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Meditate

v. calm, thoughtful everyday

What it means

To focus attention quietly as a practice of awareness, calm, or reflection.

Reach for it when describing deliberate contemplative practice without promising a particular health result

Before the house wakes, he likes to meditate beside the open window.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

  • everyday

    sit quietly

    Fits when the outward activity should be described without assumptions

    Careful Quiet sitting may be rest, waiting, or prayer rather than meditation.

  • warm

    center oneself

    Fits when regaining steady attention is the intended effect

    Careful Center oneself is vague and can promise an emotional change that is not verified.

  • warm

    pray

    Fits when communication with or devotion toward a deity is the actual practice

    Careful Prayer and meditation overlap in some traditions but are not interchangeable.

  • warm

    reflect

    Fits when carefully considering an experience or idea is central

    Careful Reflection can be analytical and does not require a meditative practice.

  • professional

    practice mindfulness

    Fits when present-moment awareness is the named method

    Careful Mindfulness is one family of practices and not every form of meditation.

  • formal

    contemplate

    Fits when sustained thought rests on one subject

    Careful Contemplation may involve active reasoning rather than quiet awareness.

  • literary

    be still

    Fits when quiet presence matters more than a formal technique

    Careful Stillness alone does not establish meditation and may be physically inaccessible.

  • literary

    ponder

    Fits when thinking deeply about a question is the activity

    Careful Pondering is discursive thought and may move away from present awareness.

Opposites 3

  • distract oneself
  • rush
  • agitate

Common phrases 3

  • meditate daily

    She began to meditate daily for a few quiet minutes.

  • meditate on

    The group will meditate on compassion before discussing the case.

  • learn to meditate

    A short guided session helped beginners learn to meditate without strain.

Usage notes

Keep in mind

Meditation practices differ across secular and religious traditions; this page makes no claim about medical benefits.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated