cognition

noun

Definition of cognitionnext
as in perception
technical conscious mental activities; the activities of thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering disabilities affecting cognition and judgment

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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 cognition Dementia is not a single disease, but refers to brain changes that result in progressive loss of memory and impaired cognition. — Kathleen Felton, Time, 21 July 2026 But a new study argues that Neanderthal cognition may have rivaled our own. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 20 July 2026 As cognition clouds, people lose the ability to understand what is happening around them and to put distress into words, researchers say. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026 Additionally, studies looking into the effects of TRT on cognition have found no measurable benefit. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cognition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognition
  1. perception
  2. observation
  3. intellection
  4. reflection
  5. thought
  6. concept
  7. conception
Noun
  • Her research explores questions about the nature of the self, decision-making, temporal experience, philosophical methodology, causation, causal experience, time and time’s arrow, perception, mereology, constitution, and essence.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The story captures the very tactile, sensory details of Birdie’s physical world, and her thoughts and perceptions.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of perception
Noun
  • There will also be multicultural food vendors, an international marketplace, community art projects, drum circles, youth soccer, interactive art activities and family programming designed to encourage participation rather than simply observation.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • This proactive approach, combining data analysis with direct observation and long-term vision, positions them for superior returns.
    — James Nelson, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of observation
Noun
  • Texture, depth and grainy intellection are absent.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Despite appearances to the contrary—the swirling sentences, the feverish intellection—there is nothing hermetic about Krasznahorkai’s work, both old and new, which squarely faces contemporary European reality and its perils, including the tortured dynamics of settlement, movement, and identity.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
Definition of intellection
Noun
  • Nagamura, who spent the first four years of her life at the garden, sees the exhibition as both a homecoming and a reflection on the people and places that shaped her artistic voice.
    — Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
  • But without reflection, the next bet is exactly as blind as the last one.
    — Henrik Landgren, Fortune, 29 July 2026
Definition of reflection
Noun
  • Business schools and consultants privileged economics and agency models over classical management thought.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The story captures the very tactile, sensory details of Birdie’s physical world, and her thoughts and perceptions.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of thought
Noun
  • Out of hundreds of entries around the world, the park’s design won first-place in the World Landscape Architecture Awards public design concept category.
    — Noah Daly July 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 July 2026
  • And the collective’s street art, films and installations have used the concept of non-native species to explore how modern human society interacts with nature and animals.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026
Definition of concept
Noun
  • Hamilton’s handprints were all over the project from conception to launch.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 July 2026
  • The activities helped shaped the building from conception rather than being added into the architecture as an afterthought.
    — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of conception

Browse Nearby Words

cognate
cognition
cognitional
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cognition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognition. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cognition

Nglish: Translation of cognition for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cognition

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