ex: "Sam [delicately nodded], listening intently and processing a response".
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1inclined his head?– Dan BronCommented Mar 19, 2016 at 20:15
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I think OP is looking for a repeated slow short nod rather than a tilt. As in processing rather than querying.– Z. DaileyCommented Mar 19, 2016 at 20:45
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@Z.Dailey Like bobbing his head?– Dan BronCommented Mar 19, 2016 at 20:51
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@DanBron that's how I interpreted it. Can't think of a single word for it, let alone something slightly more elegant than the word "bobbed."– Z. DaileyCommented Mar 19, 2016 at 20:53
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1I would say leave it as "delicately nodded" or "nodded gently."– Z. DaileyCommented Mar 19, 2016 at 20:53
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2 Answers
Not a single word but perhaps a more idiomatic expression would be
Sam nodded slowly, listening intently and processing a response
Google Books produces 204,000 hits for nodded slowly compared to 7,800 for nodded gently, and 1,740 hits for nodded reflectively.
answered Mar 19, 2016 at 21:43
to move your head up and down as a way of answering “yes” or of showing agreement, understanding, or approval
Nodding is clearly a sign that you're understanding something or trying to at least.
Depending on the intensity of nodding, it can mean different things but they all come under this definition.
My suggestion is to simply use "nodded gently". Delicately? I'm not so sure. But Google has results for both. Any single word you use instead would sound odd to most people.
Dictionaries may not go into the different kinds of nods. Here's an article, for example, briefly talking about "nodding" and body language.
