cognitive

adjective

cog·ni·tive | \ ˈkäg-nə-tiv

Definition of cognitive

1 : of, relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering) cognitive impairment

2 : based on or capable of being reduced to empirical factual knowledge

Other Words from cognitive How Should You Use cognitive? More Example Sentences Learn More about cognitive

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Examples of cognitive in a Sentence

Homo sapiens' survival is founded in their filling an evolutionary niche referred to as the cognitive niche. — Daniel Grassam, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 2001 Researchers are debating whether heading balls can dent the cognitive skills of young soccer players for life. — Lisa McLaughlin, Time, 5 June 2000 Further into the forebrain, motor functions trail off and cognitive functions, involving planning and thinking about the future, begin. — Sandra Blakeslee, New York Times, 8 Nov. 1994

Recent Examples on the Web

However, some studies have suggested that omega-3 consumption lowers your risk of developing cognitive function issues like Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. — Carolyn Todd, Allure, "Everything You Should Know Before Taking Fish Oil Supplements," 21 Aug. 2018 People contend with seizures, numbness, cognitive issues, migraines, dizziness, regrowth, and more surgery. — Daphne Beal, Vogue, "After One Writer Finds Out She Has a Brain Tumor, She Confronts It Head On," 10 Aug. 2018 Whether a child has cognitive issues, mobility challenges, or both, the design of most urban play areas inadvertently excludes a significant portion of the population playgrounds were built to serve. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Why cities need accessible playgrounds," 20 July 2018 The cognitive, physical, and emotional benefits of snoozing are profound. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What Is Lucid Dreaming? Your Guide to Exploring Your Subconscious," 18 Sep. 2018 The problem is that most of the nation’s housing is not designed to accommodate physical and cognitive challenges that come with aging. — Brenda Richardson, The Seattle Times, "Design for living: Modifications can remove the obstacles to aging in place," 3 Sep. 2018 Finally, understanding the age-prospective-memory paradox may provide an opening for research aimed at maintaining certain cognitive processes and even improving them over the life span. — Nicola Ballhausen, Scientific American, "Foresee and Forget: How to Remember the Future," 7 Mar. 2018 The most interesting finding; however, is that the groups who performed aerobic activity showed different cognitive improvement than the ones who lifted weights or did strength-training. — Lauren Le Vine, Redbook, "Yet Another Reason to Make It to the Gym Tonight," 12 Apr. 2013 Many elderly patients with mental-health conditions have a hard time getting to a doctor, due to physical disabilities and cognitive decline. — Emily Holland, WSJ, "Online Psychotherapy for the Elderly," 6 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cognitive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near cognitive

cognitive behavioral therapy

cognitive dissonance

cognitive radio

Statistics for cognitive

Last Updated

5 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for cognitive

The first known use of cognitive was in 1586

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More Definitions for cognitive

cognitive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of cognitive

technical : of, relating to, or involving conscious mental activities (such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering)

See the full definition for cognitive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cognitive

adjective

cog·ni·tive | \ ˈkäg-nət-iv

Medical Definition of cognitive

: of, relating to, or being conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, or learning words) the cognitive elements of perception— C. H. Hamburg