pensive
Quietly thinking hard about something, often looking a little sad.
pensive in a sentence
- Ava sat in a pensive mood by the window, wondering what her new school would be like.
- The captain looked pensive before the final, quietly turning the team's chances over in his mind.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to pensive?
- Acheery
- Bthoughtful
- Ccarefree
- Dlively
Show the answer
B: thoughtful. The other three mean the opposite of pensive.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to pensive?
- Acarefree
- Bthoughtful
- Cdreamy
- Dserious
Show the answer
A: carefree. The other three mean nearly the same as pensive.
Words that mean something similar
thoughtful, dreamy, serious
Words that mean the opposite
carefree, cheery, lively
More words about thinking & learning
- perceive: To notice or understand something.
- perplexed: Confused and unable to understand something.
- plausible: Sounding reasonable and likely to be true.
- ponder: To think about something slowly and carefully.
- precise: Exact and completely accurate.
- predict: To say what you think will happen in the future.
- prejudice: An unfair opinion about someone, formed without knowing the facts.
- preposterous: So silly that it is hard to believe.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test