What does rumination mean?
Rumination is prolonged, reflective thought about a person, event, or question. It often implies that someone is considering an issue carefully rather than reaching an immediate conclusion, and it may suggest either sound deliberation or, depending on context, an unhelpful tendency to dwell on the same subject. For example, “Her ruminations about the decision filled the evening” conveys sustained thought without necessarily judging it negatively. The word can also describe the biological process in which cattle and other ruminants bring partly digested food back to the mouth for further chewing and digestion. Its figurative sense grew from the literal behavior of animals, giving the modern word an enduring association with thought that turns repeatedly over an idea. Rumination is therefore especially useful when the quality of sustained reflection matters: “There was a long period of rumination before the committee reached its decision.”
The act or process of thinking deeply and reflectively about a matter.
"Weeks of rumination finally helped him understand what he truly wanted."
Usually formal; in some contexts it can suggest unnecessarily prolonged thought.
The biological process of regurgitating partly digested food for further chewing, as practiced by ruminant animals.
"The cow continued rumination before returning to the grass."
A specialized zoological sense; in medicine, the analogous human process is generally called rumination or regurgitation, depending on context.
Plural is common when referring to several reflections or periods of thought, especially “ruminations on” a subject.
"Her travels became the basis for endless ruminations on home and belonging."
Rumination began with cows and became a term for the kind of slow thinking that can solve a problem before anyone leaves the armchair.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rumination come from?
The word comes from Latin ruminatio, a noun formed from ruminari, “to chew again,” originally referring to animals that bring food back to the mouth for further chewing. English borrowed the Latin-derived term for this process before extending it figuratively to the turning over of thoughts in the mind. The modern figurative sense developed by the 17th century. Forms such as ruminate, ruminative, and ruminatory belong to the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How rumination is actually used
In general use, rumination is formal and often suggests prolonged, serious, or inward-looking thought. It can also carry a mildly critical connotation when someone is said to be ruminating excessively or repeatedly returning to the same issue. The biological sense is restricted to ruminant animals.
Easily confused with rumination
Rumination usually means careful reflection, although it can also denote the physiological return of food to the mouth for further chewing; regurgitation refers more generally to the act of expelling previously swallowed material.