as in brooding
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in lingering
to move or act slowly
we were in a rush, and the Sunday driver in front of us was just moping along
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pouting
to silently go about in a bad mood
she's been moping all weekend because her boyfriend hasn't called even once
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of moping
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
In other words, if Hollywood had an awards show for public corruption trials, this case would be at home watching it and moping that it didn’t get nominated.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026
Koko storms off and spends the rest of the evening moping about the interaction.
—Jihan Forbes, Allure, 29 Oct. 2025
In June the McCoys went back to Bloomington and Catherine spent the summer moping.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
One week, a colleague noticed Packard moping around the office and asked what was wrong.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Rather than moping about, get your shop on with one or all of these many holiday sales.
—Averi Baudler, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
Duke, whose time in the pub is spent either moping or getting hyped up by his aunt Kaulo doing her best Lady Macbeth.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
In other words, if Hollywood had an awards show for public corruption trials, this case would be at home watching it and moping that it didn’t get nominated.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026
Koko storms off and spends the rest of the evening moping about the interaction.
—Jihan Forbes, Allure, 29 Oct. 2025
In June the McCoys went back to Bloomington and Catherine spent the summer moping.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
One week, a colleague noticed Packard moping around the office and asked what was wrong.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Rather than moping about, get your shop on with one or all of these many holiday sales.
—Averi Baudler, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moping
Adjective
-
Sisters Ellie, Lily and Powell Balkcom delivered a powerfully brooding, almost hauntingly beautiful cover of a cover that has come to serve as a cornerstone of their emerging neo-traditional sound.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
-
This week, Olivia Rodrigo falls head over heels in a dreamy synth-pop track, Tom Waits returns to music with a brooding, political Massive Attack collaboration, and Tyla and Zara Larsson team up for a sultry pop girl jam.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some people will probably be pouting in those debriefs.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My introduction to Peters came late last year, when Instagram’s algorithm served me a video of him wearing a baseball cap, primping and pouting for the camera.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What are the symptoms of irritable bowel disease?—
Lindy Segal,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps through feeling more irritable, more anxious, or wanting to isolate.—
Joy Harden Bradford,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With that goal in mind, Dijkstra has constructed a scheme to ensure that King Radovid stops drinking and sulking over Jaskier and embraces his role as one of the few remaining leaders who can oppose Emhyr’s army.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Jets Mike McDaniel’s slow, sulking walk off the field was just sad, which about sums up the Dolphins this season.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Julio Torres of TV and movies and sketch comedy and stand-up is an adorable idiot, a stubborn, often petulant child with insights that elude adults.—
Adam Moss,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That is setting batteries up for a dual role as an enabler to putting more green energy on the grid and delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moping. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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