[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/broody/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [B](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/b/) / broody

# broody

adjective (broody, broodier, broodiest)

«broody» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (of a hen) Wanting to sit on her eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#m1)
2. (informal, UK) Wanting to have a baby. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#m2)
3. Quiet, moody and thinking gloomy thoughts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#m3)

### In the lessons

In farm and science lessons, a broody hen sits on eggs and stops laying. In stories, a broody character is quiet and serious, thinking about worries. In grown-up talk, «feeling broody» means wanting a baby.

### Examples

- The broody hen would not leave her nest. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#x1)
- Our broody chicken sat on the eggs for three weeks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#x2)
- He has been broody and silent all afternoon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#x3)
- Seeing her baby cousin made Aunt Sue feel broody. (informal, UK) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#x4)
- The broody boy stared out of the window. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#x5)
- A broody hen puffs up her feathers if you come near. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/#x6)

### Note

Adjective; comparatives broodier, broodiest. Related: brood (a group of baby birds; or to think gloomily). Not the same as «bloody» or «brutal».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «broody» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/broody/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«broody» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/broody.html) on Mova free.