cognitive

adjective

cog·​ni·​tive ˈkäg-nə-tiv 

1

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

cognitive development

Mild cognitive impairment … involves a decline in mental acuity that is noticeable but not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia.

—Nicholas Bakalar

… researchers kept people just slightly sleep deprived … and watched the subjects' performance on cognitive tests plummet.

—James Hamblin

2

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

debate whether normative statements can be cognitive

cognitively adverb

Examples of cognitive in a Sentence

The best toys for toddlers engage their interests while developing their fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, and social skills. —Ashley Ziegler and Katrina Cossey, Parents, 12 Nov. 2024

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

Recent Examples on the Web

For Kincade, moving from consulting to cognitive design felt like a natural evolution. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025

Migraine, deteriorating myopia, eye fatigue, cognitive decline included. —Mélanie Nauche, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2025

Whitney Port, 40, is opening up about becoming a caregiver for her mom, who has experienced a decline in cognitive health. —Jenna Anderson, Health, 15 Dec. 2025

The risk of cognitive decline and stroke also rises, as does the chance of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 14 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin cognitīvus "concerned with knowing," from Latin cognitus, past participle of cognōscere "to get to know, acquire knowledge of" + -īvus -ive — more at cognition

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cognitive

• cognitive behavioral therapy
• cognitive behavior therapy
• cognitive dissonance
• cognitive science
• cognitive therapy

Rhymes for cognitive

• neurocognitive

Kids Definition

cognitive

adjective

cog·​ni·​tive ˈkäg-nət-iv 

: of, relating to, or being conscious mental activities (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, learning words, and using language)

Medical Definition

cognitive

adjective

cog·​ni·​tive ˈkäg-nət-iv 

: of, relating to, or being conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, or learning words)

the cognitive elements of perception

—C. H. Hamburg

cognitively adverb