SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

metacognition

play

noun meta·cog·ni·tion \ -käg-ˈni-shən \

Definition of metacognition

:awareness or analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes

research on metacognition … has demonstrated the value of monitoring one's own cognitive processes
—Colette A. Daiute

Recent Examples of metacognition from the Web

Miyamoto says that this new technique will pave the way for the study of metamemory in other animals, and even humans—and will allow researchers to look more closely at the different types of metacognition.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "A Wise Monkey Knows How Little He Knows," 13 Jan. 2017

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

First Known Use of metacognition

1972

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up metacognition? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

yeasty

play

of yeast or being unsettled or frivolous

BROWSE DICTIONARY

metacinnabar

metacneme

metacognition

metacoracoid

metacromion

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59c52d6ee2f72

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game