cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈni-shən 

: cognitive mental processes

A concussion impaired the patient's cognition.

also : a product of these processes

cognitional

käg-ˈni-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of cognition in a Sentence

disabilities affecting cognition and judgment

Recent Examples on the Web

There isn’t some mountaintop of cognition that the AI does not achieve. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026

Taking CoQ10 and vitamin D together may offer benefits for fertility, cognition, and heart health, but more research is needed to confirm these effects. — Megan Nunn, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2026

More research is needed to better understand the connection between creatine and cognition; but the supplement may be beneficial for brain health, particularly in older adults and for issues related to sleep deprivation. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

So language modeling seems to be merely a powerful component of human cognition, not its equivalent or source. — Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cognicioun "comprehension, ability to comprehend," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French cognicion "knowledge, jurisdiction," borrowed from Latin cognitiōn-, cognitiō "act of getting to know, comprehension, investigation," from cogni-, variant stem of cognōscere "to get to know, acquire knowledge of, become acquainted with, investigate" (from co- co- + gnōscere, nōscere "to get to know," inchoative derivative from Indo-European *ǵneh₃-, *ǵṇh₃- "to know, recognize") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at know entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cognition

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition
• dismission

Kids Definition

cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈnish-ən 

: the act or process of knowing

Medical Definition

cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈnish-ən 

1

: cognitive mental processes

2

: a conscious intellectual act

conflict between cognitions