broody
11 synonyms and 3 antonyms for broody, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Feeling a strong longing to have a baby.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective informal, chiefly British
Feeling a strong longing to have a baby.
“Holding the newborn made her come over all broody.”
How to use broody
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
feel broody
go broody
broody hen
broody mood
make me broody
The baby sense is very common in British, Irish and Australian English and much rarer in American English, where 'broody' is more likely to be read as moody. Applied to people it is informal.
Etymology
From brood, in the sense of a hen sitting on her eggs, from Old English brōd.
Full origin of broody →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between broody and brooding?
Brooding means deeply and darkly thoughtful, and is often used of atmosphere or of a character in fiction. Broody most commonly means longing to have a baby, though it can also mean sullen. They are not safely interchangeable.
What does 'feeling broody' mean?
It means being overtaken by a strong, often sudden desire to have a child. People typically say it after spending time around babies. It is used of both men and women, though more often of women.
What is a broody hen?
It is a hen whose instincts have switched to hatching: she sits tight on the eggs, stops laying, and resists being moved. Keepers either let her hatch a clutch or take steps to break the broodiness.
