cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈni-shən 

: cognitive mental processes

A concussion impaired the patient's cognition.

also : a product of these processes

cognitional

käg-ˈni-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of cognition in a Sentence

disabilities affecting cognition and judgment

Recent Examples on the Web

Running is a test of control, not cognition. —Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the swift planet of communication, cognition and thought processes. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026

Virtually every knowledge profession is vulnerable to this dynamic as companies change how work gets done and, more importantly, where cognition lives. —Jeff Raikes, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026

Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, April 13, the study is the first to test the impact of fluoridated water on cognition into late adulthood – long beyond childhood and adolescence, the usual targets of fluoride research. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cognicioun "comprehension, ability to comprehend," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French cognicion "knowledge, jurisdiction," borrowed from Latin cognitiōn-, cognitiō "act of getting to know, comprehension, investigation," from cogni-, variant stem of cognōscere "to get to know, acquire knowledge of, become acquainted with, investigate" (from co- co- + gnōscere, nōscere "to get to know," inchoative derivative from Indo-European *ǵneh₃-, *ǵṇh₃- "to know, recognize") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at know entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cognition

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition
• dismission

Kids Definition

cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈnish-ən 

: the act or process of knowing

Medical Definition

cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈnish-ən 

1

: cognitive mental processes

2

: a conscious intellectual act

conflict between cognitions