ideation

noun

ide·​a·​tion ˌī-dē-ˈā-shən 

: the capacity for or the act of forming or entertaining ideas

Local coaches and mentors guide student teams through the process of ideation, market research, and business plan development …

—Maryann Mills

… the new space offers a smorgasbord of work environments—cozy two-chair-and-a-screen setups for small Zoom gatherings, … and floor-to-ceiling whiteboards in some places for spontaneous ideation …

—Chase DiFeliciantonio

see also suicidal ideation

Synonyms of ideation

• creativity
• imagination
• imaginativeness

Examples of ideation in a Sentence

a product designer who went from ideation to creation quickly

Recent Examples on the Web

The propensity for enigmatic contradiction in thought and ideation is alive and well in the Republican Party in Texas. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026

Structured scouting and ideation sessions need to be treated with the same importance as board meetings and sales reviews. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Without change, prediction markets could supercharge mental health and addiction issues – fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness, financial distress, and even suicide mortalities and ideation. — Amy L. Kennedy, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

The system uses four specialized agents for ideation, planning, conducting the experiment, and writing, all designed to perform the main tasks of science autonomously. — Benjamin Skuse, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ideation

• suicidal ideation

Rhymes for ideation

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Medical Definition

ideation

noun

ide·​a·​tion ˌīd-ē-ˈā-shən 

: the capacity for or the act of forming or entertaining ideas

The spectrum of paranoid ideation goes from mild distrust and suspiciousness to full-blown persecutory delusions.

—R. Bianchi and L. Janin, Occupational Medicine

The cognitive ability to generate many creative ideas, or creative ideation, is one facet of creativity.

—Tammy C. Pannells and Amy F. Claxton, Creativity Research Journal

see also suicidal ideation