DROOPING Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

drooping 1 of 3

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward faded, drooping banners lining the walls of the old gym

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drooping

2 of 3

noun

as in flagging

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Dissimilar Words

drooping

3 of 3

verb

present participle of droop

as in hanging

to be limp from lack of water or vigor the flowers drooped on their stalks in the blazing sun

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sagging

to lose bodily strength or vigor as the afternoon wore on, we started to droop

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drooping

Noun

This helps support the weight of the lights and minimizes drooping. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026 If the arteries are leading to the brain, symptoms may involve sudden numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, trouble speaking, slurred speech, sudden or temporary vision loss in one eye or facial drooping. — Charles Trepany, USA Today, 6 May 2026 Engineers hired by the association reported concrete defects, a drooping balcony, loose fire sprinkler joints causing leaks, and corrosion and cracks in the seawall. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 1 May 2026 Right whales, with their characteristic drooping dorsal fin, are most often seen along the Eastern Seaboard, but over the past few years two of them were spotted in the Gulf, one with a calf. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026 If the plant’s leaves start turning yellow, drooping, or curling, that is an indication of overwatering. — Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026 Curling, drooping, or yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while drooping and wilting leaves indicate underwatering. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026 Low indoor humidity and sudden temperature changes can cause drooping stems. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026 The ship was said to have experienced weakening metal parts that eventually fully fractured from the waves; and intense pressure at the ship's midsection that caused drooping of the bow and stern all combined with severe weather, according to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum. — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Verb

Petals that are fading, drooping, dropping off, or turning brown are all signs that the flower is reaching the end of its life and is ready to be removed. — The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026 Prevent drooping by watering deeply in the morning, improving drainage, and pruning to maintain airflow and plant health. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 9 Aug. 2026 On June 15, Andy and Ruben’s mom, Chantal, returned home from walking the dog to find their son on the bathroom floor, shaking, with the left side of his face drooping. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 The two most common causes are ptosis, which is a drooping eyelid caused by weakness of the muscle that lifts the eyelid, and dermatochalasis, which is excess eyelid skin. — Carlos Wolf, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Look for wilting, drooping, discolored, or diseased leaves regularly to keep up the plant’s appearance. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 30 June 2026 Heavy-duty gloves, paired up on polished surfaces or drooping from metal racks, tend to stand in for hands. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 23 June 2026 Now the girls, with their useless prop hats drooping sadly over their foreheads, are forced to watch strangers in even cuter outfits than theirs (according to Jen) doing body rolls all over the boys the main-villa girls have only just managed to wrangle into something like a relationship. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 22 June 2026 Amaranth is available in drooping varieties or upright flower forms, makes an excellent addition to a dahlia bouquet, and is large enough to hold its own in the dahlia bed. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drooping

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

Definition of nodding

Noun

Warships may board vessels suspected of piracy, slave trading, statelessness or false flagging.

— John Calabrese, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
The footnote says that while the locations of some gas lines were marked with painting and flagging, the location of the gas line that was struck by a third-party contractor had not been identified and marked.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of flagging

Verb

Tenants have been threatened with eviction for hanging signs outside their balconies calling attention to the utility billing method.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
The question hanging over France’s committee will be bigger than whether Zvyagintsev’s film is the strongest of the bunch.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of hanging

Verb

Beneath that sits a high-density support-foam foundation designed to limit sagging and compression over time, along with a textured anti-slip base to reduce movement on the bed frame.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2026
Which is why her character flicks through YouTube plastic surgery videos and stares at older women on the bus, comparing her wrinkles and checking her neck for any signs of sagging.

— Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of sagging

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

As the conflict grinds on, Trump’s talk of finding a quick end to the war also appears to be fading.

— Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
European banks have shaken off a weak first quarter to notch solid share price gains in the year to date, but Citi analysts warn their momentum may be fading.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of fading

Noun

While many symptoms overlap between species, Koehler says dogs commonly develop lethargy, fever, limping, stiff or swollen joints, pale gums, bruising, or abnormal bleeding.

— Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 July 2026
In recent days, young Knicks fans have been made to digest from their dreary Boomer elders heavy doses of old-timey hoops lore, but mainly about the 1970 title series, featuring Willis Reed’s limping, yet noble appearance in Game Seven, his injured leg shot up with painkillers.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Definition of limping

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“Drooping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drooping. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of drooping

adjective

noun

verb

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