Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb contemplate

4 senses of contemplate

Sense 1
contemplate -- (look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought; "contemplate one's navel")
       => view, consider, look at -- (look at carefully; study mentally; "view a problem")

Sense 2
contemplate -- (consider as a possibility; "I contemplated leaving school and taking a full-time job")
       => consider, take, deal, look at -- (take into consideration for exemplifying purposes; "Take the case of China"; "Consider the following case")

Sense 3
study, meditate, contemplate -- (think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes; "He is meditating in his study")
       => think, cogitate, cerebrate -- (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere")

Sense 4
chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculate -- (reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate")
       => think, cogitate, cerebrate -- (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere")