Synonyms of nodding

nodding 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnä-diŋ 

as in bowing

bending downward or forward

some students, with nodding heads, were helplessly falling asleep during the boring lecture

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bowing
• weeping
• bowed
• falling
• hanging
• dangling
• descending
• declined
• hung
• declining
• sagging
• drooping
• inclining
• floppy
• stooping
• pendulous
• descendant
• droopy
• sinking
• suspended
• dipping
• limp
• pendent
• slumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• upright
• erect
• rigid
• stiff
• unbending
• inflexible
• elevated
• upraised
• raised

nodding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of nod

as in bobbing

to make short up-and-down movements

though she couldn't see the rain, she knew it had started because she could see the flowers nod as raindrops hit them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bobbing
• shaking
• pumping
• jerking
• swaying
• wagging
• jogging
• bobbling
• jouncing
• seesawing
• ducking
• wiggling
• rocking
• swinging
• wobbling
• jiggling
• oscillating
• undulating
• dropping

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nodding

Adjective

James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head. — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021

Verb

Outside, Terremoto approached the garden with a similar balance of continuity and reinvention, nodding to the home’s midcentury origins without slipping into pastiche. — Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Oh, yes, sure,’ said Stanton, nodding out, still thinking about music. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Among the guests at the launch celebration were Coco Rocha and Debbie Harry, weaving through the space and stopping at the backlit bar for drinks, nodding along to the sounds of DJ duo Las Flaquitas. — Ruby Ford-Dunker, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026

How does the festival define where the label is now while nodding to its history? — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Smiling, nodding her head, dancing on her own, rapping along to her own song. — Jason Sheeler, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026

Gap even takes things up a notch by swathing certain Five-Pocket selections in vegan suede and multiple shades of canvas — effectively nodding to its other beloved bottoms options. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026

West, who was raised in Chicago, is seen nodding to the music and filming on his phone, while Kardashian cheers and points at their daughter. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026

Sklar says there were head-nodding statues in China at least a few hundred years ago, seen by Europeans who brought versions back with them. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026