1
a
: absorbed in thought : meditative
b
: characterized by careful reasoned thinking
a thoughtful essay
thoughtfulness
noun
Examples of thoughtful in a Sentence
She looked at me with a thoughtful expression.
He looked thoughtful for a moment.
Her husband is always thoughtful.
That's very thoughtful of you.
Recent Examples on the Web
Von offers callers, by and large, thoughtful advice and—much more important—the sensation of brotherhood.
—
James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
In her thoughtful caption, the artist wrote beautifully of how she's often been told that her hands resemble her father's.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
But the underdog story, produced by Jordan Peele, also shows a bunch of new sides to Patel, who knuckles up as a legit action star and a guy who can make a movie that’s totally cool, occasionally amusing and impressively thoughtful.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Their internals are equally thoughtful, with synchronized bass and two tweeters per unit.
—K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Recently, there has been a growing movement among experts who study the science of interrogations and members of law enforcement to develop more thoughtful approaches aimed not at a confession, but at gathering information in the search for the truth.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
What’s missing in many of these debates over Jesus’ skin color is a more nuanced perspective from thoughtful people on both sides.
—John Blake, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
This thoughtful strategy ensures that mentees receive personalized guidance through a nontraditional approach, providing valuable industry perspectives to effectively steer them through their career paths.
—Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
SoCalGas is aligned and working transparently with state, local and federal leaders on a thoughtful path to net-zero emissions.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
In her thoughtful caption, the artist wrote beautifully of how she's often been told that her hands resemble her father's.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
But the underdog story, produced by Jordan Peele, also shows a bunch of new sides to Patel, who knuckles up as a legit action star and a guy who can make a movie that’s totally cool, occasionally amusing and impressively thoughtful.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Their internals are equally thoughtful, with synchronized bass and two tweeters per unit.
—K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Recently, there has been a growing movement among experts who study the science of interrogations and members of law enforcement to develop more thoughtful approaches aimed not at a confession, but at gathering information in the search for the truth.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
What’s missing in many of these debates over Jesus’ skin color is a more nuanced perspective from thoughtful people on both sides.
—John Blake, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
This thoughtful strategy ensures that mentees receive personalized guidance through a nontraditional approach, providing valuable industry perspectives to effectively steer them through their career paths.
—Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
SoCalGas is aligned and working transparently with state, local and federal leaders on a thoughtful path to net-zero emissions.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thoughtful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of thoughtful was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near thoughtful
Cite this Entry
“Thoughtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thoughtful. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on thoughtful
Nglish: Translation of thoughtful for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of thoughtful for Arabic Speakers
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