ruminated
Chewed on mentally
Ruminated is the past tense of ruminate, which means to turn something over in one's mind repeatedly: She ruminated on what he'd said for days.
The word comes from the literal action of ruminant animals like cows, who chew cud by regurgitating and rechewing food.
The mental sense captures that same quality of bringing something back up to process it again.
Ruminating often suggests prolonged, sometimes unproductive dwelling on a problem or worry.
Thought deeply about
- reflectedCast back, as light
- musedThought deeply about
- cogitatedThought long and hard
- broodedThought gloomily, persistently
deliberated · contemplated · meditated · considered · dwelled · mulled · weighed · speculated
Rechewed stomach contents
- masticateCrush food orally
- regurgitateExpel swallowed matter
- grazeFeed on growing plants
- forageSeek food actively
bovine · herbivore · cow · cattle · sheep · goat · bison · buffalo
Probing one's innermost feelings
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-reflectionExamining one's own mind
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- self-analysisScrutinizing one's own psyche
self-questioning · navel-gazing · self-discovery · self-awareness · self-scrutiny · psychological · personal · private
pondered
Thought deeply about
brooded · deliberated · contemplated · meditated · considered · dwelled · mulled · weighed · speculated · thought
cud
Rechewed stomach contents
- masticateCrush food orally
- regurgitateExpel swallowed matter
- grazeFeed on growing plants
forage · bovine · herbivore · cow · cattle · sheep · goat · bison · buffalo · llama
soul-searching
Probing one's innermost feelings
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-reflectionExamining one's own mind
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
self-analysis · self-questioning · navel-gazing · self-discovery · self-awareness · self-scrutiny · psychological · personal · private · solitary
dwelling
Place of residence
agonizing · fretting · stewing · rehashing · overthinking · preoccupying · haunting · nagging · troubling · gnawing
rumen
First stomach of ruminants
- reticulumNet-shaped anatomical structure
- abomasumRuminant's acid-secreting stomach
- foregutAnterior alimentary canal portion
fermentation · microbes · microbial · digestion · stomach · gut · cellulose · enzymes · absorption · metabolism
ruminatedjumped to conclusions
Formed opinions prematurely
shot from the hip · blurted out · dismissed · brushed aside · glossed over
ruminatedignored
Purposely not noticed
disregarded · neglected · overlooked · shrugged off · let go
ruminate, rumination, ruminating, ruminative, ruminator, ruminations, ruminators, ruminates