Dictionary › B › broody

broody

2 syllables · also broodier, broodiest
Quick answer

As a noun, broody means a female bird in the condition to incubate eggs. As an adjective, it means of birds: sitting persistently and protectively on a nest, in order to hatch eggs.

Meanings of broody

8 meanings

noun

  1. A female bird in the condition to incubate eggs; a broody hen, duck, etc.

    “There are six broodies in that coop.”

  2. A domestic hen ready to broodanimal

    Similar: brood hen, broody hen, setting hen, sitter

adjective

  1. Of birds: sitting persistently and protectively on a nest, in order to hatch eggs.

    “a broody hen”

  2. Of any creature or person: showing an interest in raising young.

  3. Brooding, dwelling upon one's thoughts; moody.

  4. Gloomy.

  5. Physiologically ready to incubate eggs

    “a broody hen”

  6. Deeply or seriously thoughtful

    “Byron lives on not only in his poetry, but also in his creation of the ‘Byronic hero’ - the persona of a brooding melancholy young man”

    Similar: brooding, contemplative, meditative, musing, pensive, pondering

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).

Synonyms by meaning

All synonyms for broody →
adjective: deeply or seriously thoughtful
noun: a domestic hen ready to brood
brood henbroody hensetting hensitter

Words that rhyme with broody

For word games

b3
r1
o1
o1
d2
y4
Scrabble & Words With Friends: valid word12 points before bonuses.6 letters.
Unscramble these letters

Nearby words