nodding along
Silent head agreement
Nodding along is the gesture of repeatedly moving your head up and down while someone speaks, signaling agreement or understanding—or at least the appearance of it.
The phrase often implies passive or superficial engagement: I was just nodding along, not really following.
It can suggest going along with something without genuine conviction: The board nodded along to whatever the CEO proposed.
- agreeingSharing the same view
- listeningAttending to sound
- half listeningGiving divided attention
- approvalFavorable opinion given
- yes manUncritical agreeable subordinate
sympathetic · attentive · polite · feigning · understanding · yes · affirming · engaged · pretending · going through the motions · on autopilot · drowsy · sleepy · rhythmic · conversation · meeting · lecture · bored
- listeningactive listening, attentive, listening skills, listening comprehension, focused attention
- conformityconformity, conforming, conform, conformist, conformism
- sycophancyfawning, toadying, groveling, kowtowing, brown-nosing
nodding alongcritical thinking
Objective evaluation of information
rapt attention · leaning in · tuning out · zoning out · walking away
nodding alongpushing back
Exerting opposing force
disagreeing · challenging · objecting · arguing · shaking one's head
nodding alongzoning out
Losing conscious attention temporarily
tuning out · spacing out · daydreaming · checking out · not paying attention