cognitive

play

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

cognitively

adverb

See cognitive defined for English-language learners

See cognitive defined for kids

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 of cognitive from the Web

Also on Wednesday, the Alzheimer’s Association announced the launch of a $20 million two-year clinical trial to see if lifestyle changes can prevent cognitive decline.

— tara bahrampour, Washington Post, "PET scans show many Alzheimer’s patients may not actually have the disease," 19 July 2017
While human bias and cognitive dissonance are nothing new, the council’s blatant disregard for any viewpoint or data that contradict their preconceived worldview is astounding.

— eric peterson, National Review, "Seattle Progressives Stick Their Heads in the Sand on Minimum Wage," 19 July 2017
Excessive media exposure has been associated with poor social-emotional, cognitive and language development, as well as sleep problems and obesity.

— bridget davidson, ph.d., and jason jent, ph.d., miamiherald, "Screen time for young children: When and how to introduce mobile devices," 17 July 2017
This bad behavior is especially bad in downtown Louisville, where after three years, the bike lanes continue to cause massive hemorrhaging of cognitive thought.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "A study says that Louisville has the 13th-best drivers in America ... Ha!," 30 June 2017
There aren’t many other places right now that have all of these cognitive machines under one roof, according to Dr. John Piazza, the lab’s founder.

— jen booton, SI.com, "How two UFC fighters use technology to gain an edge in the octagon," 28 June 2017
Also, that the mere presence of a cellphone sitting on the table while a person is being interviewed (or, perhaps, briefed on international affairs?) can impact cognitive performance. Gotta tweet!

— jonathan takiff, Philly.com, "Top tips on how to deal with phone addiction," 23 June 2017
Kissen says that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help with fears over nuclear war.

— elizabeth king, Longreads, "Two-And-a-Half Minutes to Midnight: Our Fear of Nukes and How We Got Here," 22 June 2017
Valdés specializes in cognitive decline and has studied under Dr. Dale Bredesen at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California.

— samantha j. gross, miamiherald, "Alzheimer’s bike ride to focus on possible treatments of disease," 20 June 2017

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.

How Should You Use cognitive?

Cognitive skills and knowledge involve the ability to acquire factual information, often the kind of knowledge that can easily be tested. So cognition should be distinguished from social, emotional, and creative development and ability. Cognitive science is a growing field of study that deals with human perception, thinking, and learning.

Origin and Etymology of cognitive

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1586

See Words from the same year

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

COGNITIVE Defined for English Language Learners

cognitive

play

adjective

Definition of cognitive for English Language Learners

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

Medical Dictionary

cognitive

play

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