cognitive

adjective

Definition of cognitivenext
as in reasonable
technical of, relating to, or involving conscious mental activities (such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering) cognitive development

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 cognitive The physician referred him to a neurologist who noted cognitive impairment, possibly due to exposure to multiple toxins at the Hanford Site. — Lizz Giordano, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026 Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Huggins has a progressive cognitive condition, his family announced in a statement Wednesday. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 After a month, the ketogenic group showed clear metabolic improvements; the more striking psychiatric and cognitive gains turned up at four months—by which point the diet had been offered to everyone, eliminating the control-group comparison. — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Key areas of growth for the category, per the Popularity Index, include performance and fitness, sleep support, cognitive health, energy, reproductive health, and cardiovascular health. — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cognitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognitive
  1. reasonable
  2. empirical
  3. analytic
  4. good
Adjective
  • The old boy was perfectly reasonable, explaining the difference between federal reimbursement and state reimbursement, and the speed that agencies move on the different levels.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The enforcement stems from Spotify’s requirement that family plan members reside at the same address—a seemingly reasonable policy in concept.
    — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of reasonable
Adjective
  • During high-temperature runs conducted in September, engineers collected new empirical data to evaluate core behavior under extreme heat.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The risks posed by obesity, however, are based on more empirical data.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of empirical
Adjective
  • Agents ask unanticipated questions across operational and analytical systems, often in real time.
    — Felix Liao, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • That, to me, raises the question of how universities should build the human competencies such as deep thinking, analytical reasoning, judgment, and taste.
    — Matt vandenBerg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of analytic
Adjective
  • SpaceX shares jumped nearly 8% on Wednesday, their best single-session performance since August.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The two musicians are so good at aping the sounds they were raised on that originality and reference become one and the same.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of good

Browse Nearby Words

cognitions
cognitive
cognizable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cognitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognitive. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All