Synonym Chooser

How is the word cogitate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of cogitate are deliberate, reason, reflect, speculate, and think. While all these words mean "to use one's powers of conception, judgment, or inference," cogitate implies deep or intent thinking.

cogitated on the mysteries of nature

When is it sensible to use deliberate instead of cogitate?

The words deliberate and cogitate can be used in similar contexts, but deliberate suggests slow or careful reasoning before forming an opinion or reaching a conclusion or decision.

the jury deliberated for five hours

When might reason be a better fit than cogitate?

Although the words reason and cogitate have much in common, reason stresses consecutive logical thinking.

able to reason brilliantly in debate

When is reflect a more appropriate choice than cogitate?

In some situations, the words reflect and cogitate are roughly equivalent. However, reflect suggests unhurried consideration of something recalled to the mind.

reflecting on fifty years of married life

When can speculate be used instead of cogitate?

While in some cases nearly identical to cogitate, speculate implies reasoning about things theoretical or problematic.

speculated on the fate of the lost explorers

In what contexts can think take the place of cogitate?

The words think and cogitate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, think is general and may apply to any mental activity, but used alone often suggests attainment of clear ideas or conclusions.

teaches students how to think

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cogitate What made those songs work, and these, is the sound of Byrne’s mind cogitating inside them. Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025 This represents the leap from machines that can mimic human outputs to systems that genuinely cogitate—plotting, analyzing, and problem-solving with remarkable acuity. Arafat Kabir, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025 Yet the evidence for cogitating pond scum grows daily. Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024 With the eruptions and disruptions of digital mass culture as its Ferrari-level engine, often represented by the roaring drama of sport, Pfeiffer’s art cogitates on power as an ongoing campaign waged between the individual and the crowd. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 While Wall Street and Private Equity leaders have the time to leisurely cogitate the long view, business leaders (CEO’s, CMO’s, etc) have to make commitments today with real dollars based on their best guesses about the state of the consumer next fall and spring. Greg Petro, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 As his characters cogitate and self-medicate, scheme and philosophize, his subject is less the content of their thoughts than the mind contemplating itself. Washington Post, 11 June 2021 Jermaine uncovers America's obsession with capitalism and its cogitating impact on his everyday decision making, as well as those around him. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2018 Penrose believes that Hawking's condition has forced him to work more creatively, to take imaginative leaps where someone with a less uncertain future might want to cogitate a little longer. Jerry Adler, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogitate
Verb
  • Louise Hémon The jury would also like to acknowledge a director whose film transported us into an extreme landscape, and created an unsettling atmosphere that kept us contemplating the nature of lust, education, and violence.
    Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Deacon clatters off in his truck, leaving me to contemplate my new home.
    Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Athletic’s Mike Jones recently wondered if Miami had to go on a postseason run to save McDaniel’s job, and CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz pondered during the Chiefs-Raiders game whether there would soon be news out of Miami.
    Zac Jackson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Charles Lee pondered his answer for a split second.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Goodell brushed aside the criticism, emphasizing that the halftime show’s purpose is to entertain and reach the widest audience possible.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
    Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • To stake his claim to be considered for a F1 seat at any team, the 20-year-old would increase his odds by bagging the F2 title.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Travelers to Europe should consider a phone crossbody purse instead, like this compact but spacious one from Amazon.
    Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If the White House must be remade, let there be a plan; let it be debated; let the financing be transparent and free of kickbacks and corruption.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The Cleveland Browns drafted two rookie quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft, a move that was highly debated at the time and a storyline that hasn't gone away since.
    Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the show, Marshall says his father moved to Eerie to study it as the most normal city in the United States.
    Jenny Porter Tilley, IndyStar, 27 Oct. 2025
  • After studying her pictures, Walter realized that the corona was not homogeneous.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Julie Mayhew, owner of Mayville Farm, a small farm sanctuary in Racine, said she's publicly questioned Shalom for years.
    Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Bessent was questioned by Democrats and some Republicans for his support, in the context of Argentina being a competitor to the US in exporting soybeans to China.
    Daniel Flatley, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cogitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogitate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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