Meditative
What it means
Calm and reflective in a way that supports sustained inward attention.
Reach for it when describing an atmosphere, pace, work, or state suited to contemplation
Long pauses give the final movement a meditative quality.
Words to choose between 9
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
absorbed
Fits when sustained attention shuts out distraction
Careful Absorption can be energetic or anxious and is not necessarily reflective.
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everyday
slow and reflective
Fits when plain description is preferable to a spiritual association
Careful This longer wording still fails for meditative work that is neither slow nor discursive.
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warm
calming
Fits when the effect on mood is more important than inward attention
Careful Calming predicts a response that may not be shared by every listener or viewer.
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warm
Fits when clear, untroubled calm is the visible quality
Careful Serene may describe appearance without any contemplation.
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professional
Fits when attention turns toward one's own thoughts or feelings
Careful Introspection can be intense or unsettled rather than meditative.
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professional
Fits when careful consideration of experience or ideas matters
Careful Reflective can describe analysis that is active rather than quiet.
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formal
Fits when deep, sustained thought is the defining quality
Careful Contemplative may be intellectual or religious without the calm sensory pace of meditative.
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literary
pensive
Fits when quiet thought carries seriousness or slight sadness
Careful Pensive can imply melancholy that is absent from a calm meditation.
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literary
Fits when stillness and freedom from disturbance shape the atmosphere
Careful Tranquil describes calm but not focused reflection.
Opposites 3
- agitated
- distracting
- frenetic
Common phrases 3
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meditative state
The repeated rhythm helped the potter enter a meditative state.
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meditative quality
Soft natural sounds give the installation a meditative quality.
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deeply meditative
The final chapter is deeply meditative without becoming abstract.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Qwertygiy, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated