ˈkäntəmˌplāt, -(ˌ)tem-; rap. often ˈkänəmˌ-; sporadically and old-fash kənˈtemˌ-; usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin contemplatus, past participle of contemplari, contemplare, from com- + -templari, -templare (from templum space for observation marked out by the augur) — more at temple
transitive verb
1. : to view with sustained attention : gaze at thoughtfully for a noticeable time : observe with ostensibly steady reflection
a way of looking her over from beneath lowered lids while he affected to be … contemplating the tip of his shining boot — Edith Wharton
2. : to view mentally with continued thoughtfulness, attention, or reflection : muse or ponder about
while in your pride ye contemplate your talents, power, or wisdom — William Wordsworth
3. : to view mentally in a stated or implied way with thoughtfulness and reflection:
a. : to think about or regard from a certain viewpoint or in a certain light or respect
the opinion … that while science, by a deliberate abstraction, contemplates a world of facts without values, religion contemplates values apart from facts — W.R.Inge
b. : to have in view as a purpose : anticipate doing or performing : plan on : intend , plan
absent-mindedly feeling in their pockets as men do when contemplating a purchase — Kenneth Roberts
c. : to dream of as a cherished aim : envision
the moment and the act he had contemplated for weeks with a thrill of pleasure — Thomas Hardy
d. : to presume or imply as a concomitant or result : postulate , presuppose
the law would seem to contemplate that it should be made to the secretary of state — John Marshall
4. : to view or regard (as an object or an objective fact) with detachment
since contemplation is an intellectual exercise it cannot allow itself to be identified with the thing contemplated — Leon Livingstone
— compare enjoy
intransitive verb
: ponder , muse , meditate
to sit still and contemplate — to remember the faces of women without desire — R.L.Stevenson
Synonyms: see consider