Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Broody for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "broody" — an adjective, pronounced /ˈbruːdi/, with the stress on "broo".
Narrator: Broody means sulky and quietly withdrawn, or, informally, eager to have a baby.
Narrator: In plain English, broody describes a moody, thoughtful mood, and separately, parental longing.
Narrator: It builds from "brood", to dwell or hatch, plus "-y", the adjective-forming suffix.
Narrator: "Feeling broody" describes strongly wanting to have a child, often described casually.
Narrator: It differs from "moody" by cause — broody often implies quiet dwelling rather than irritability.
Narrator: "Broody teenager" describes someone withdrawn, quiet, and lost in their own thoughts.
Narrator: Everyday British conversation and personal description both frequently rely on "broody".
Narrator: So remember: broody marks quiet dwelling — a withdrawn, sulky mood, or informally, longing to have a baby.
Speaker A: "Feeling broody" always sounds so specific to me. Is that meaning about wanting a baby really as common as the moody sense?
Speaker B: Genuinely, equally common, honestly! BROODY builds from "brood", plus "-y", covering both the sulky, withdrawn mood and the specific, casual sense of wanting children. Context usually makes the intended meaning obvious quickly.
Speaker A: So both meanings really do coexist comfortably, with context doing the work of clarifying which one?
Speaker B: Exactly — that contextual clarity is precisely why broody works comfortably in both senses!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "He's been broody all day"; "she's feeling broody after the wedding"; "the broody teenager stayed in his room" — moody withdrawal, parental longing, and adolescent behaviour.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Regular adjective — broody, broodier, broodiest; often used casually in everyday British conversation!
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Sulky" the moody cousin, "withdrawn" the general twin, "maternal" the parental-longing alternative. Broody keeps its quietly expressive charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "broody" in AI prompts — useful for character-development mood-writing tools and social-app status-message tone design.
Speaker A: So broody in a prompt could help write a character's mood, or design a social-app status-message tone?
Speaker B: Right. For a character-development mood-writing tool, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a scene where the character seems broody and withdrawn, using short, quiet sentences to reflect their mood.
Speaker A: Good — what about a social-app status message suggested for a user who feels broody after a big family event?
Speaker B: The social-app prompt:
Prompt: Suggest a light-hearted status update for a user who feels broody after their friend's baby shower.
Speaker A: A dialogue-generation tool for a game NPC who acts broody, giving vague, moody responses to the player?
Speaker B: The dialogue-generation prompt:
Prompt: Write dialogue for a broody NPC, giving vague, moody responses that hint at unresolved backstory without explaining it.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: The parenting-app prompt:
Prompt: Write content for users who describe feeling broody, offering thoughtful resources without pressuring any specific decision.
Broody — meaning in Arabic & definition More B courses GL Dictionary