thinking 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of thinkingnext
as in reasoning
having the ability to reason it's surprising to find thinking people who believe such nonsense

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

thinking

2 of 3

noun

as in meditation

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

thinking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of think
as in believing
to have as an opinion I think we should wait for someone to come help us out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 thinking
Adjective
Credit Gus Malzahn for being proactive and thinking long-term in choosing his starting quarterback. — Creg Stephenson | [email protected], al, 22 Aug. 2019 The quick-thinking team administrator came up with a solution – flag down a tour bus. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 June 2018
Noun
In the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam era, this thinking went, Congress had gone too far in constraining the executive branch with presumptuous reforms that aimed to secure greater accountability and transparency from the White House. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Shushmita Chauhan got emotional thinking about all their hard work that was shattered in just moments. — Nick Caloway, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
Jason Hansberger, director of the DAF-Stanford AI Studio, talked about his experience in the defense industry, and put forward a novel suggestion involving two different modes of thinking about autonomous design. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The Liberty obviously didn’t mind not facing key starters for the Aces in what was an easy victory, but even Jonquel Jones couldn’t blame Hammon for thinking about the future. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thinking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thinking
  1. rational
  2. meditation
  3. believing
  4. intelligent
  5. contemplation
  6. guessing
  7. reflection
  8. considering
Adjective
  • Her mental health afterward Two forensic psychiatrists testified Monday that Clancy appeared clear-headed and rational in the days after the killings.
    — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Employers must move beyond resilience training, creating transparent, equitable workplaces where effort is rewarded and mistakes are tolerated, ensuring ambition remains a rational choice for diverse talent.
    — Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of rational
Noun
  • His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people's spiritual experiences and attitudes.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Watching that number climb (474 straight days of meditation, as of this week) is genuinely for me.
    — Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of meditation
Verb
  • That run came on top of a franchise-record tying 15-game winning streak in July, fueling a dramatic turnaround that has fans believing the magic is back at the old ballpark.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • But some Americans are susceptible to believing it, particularly those who came of age during the Cold War, when communism was shorthand for our gravest national threat.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of believing
Adjective
  • Deploying renewables paired with intelligent energy conservation and grid management, individuals, businesses, municipalities, and entire countries are earnestly curbing their CO2 emissions.
    — John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Factories, shipyards and warehouses are becoming intelligent.
    — Ariyan Kabir, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of intelligent
Noun
  • The process of filming and editing became one of observation, contemplation and confrontation.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The gallery, which connects the Apollo Rotunda and the Salon Carré, will serve as a space for strolling and contemplation within the museum, according to the release.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Definition of contemplation
Verb
  • The bot loses a point for losing to me and another for guessing in five!
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The notion of luck is seemingly an ill fit for his new home state, where fortunes were made by guessing where to drill a hole into the ground in search of oil.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of guessing
Noun
  • Mercury in your 10th House of Career sextiles Venus in your 12th House of Solitude, helping behind-the-scenes reflection shape a smarter professional choice.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • If an essay is built around specific, vivid details and honest reflection throughout, the reader should already understand what the experience meant to the student well before the final paragraph.
    — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of reflection
Verb
  • Citing low voter low turnout in the middle of the summer, top state officials are considering whether to change the August primary to another month.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • McCaslin was already considering a broader relocation request.
    — Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of considering

Browse Nearby Words

think factory
thinking
thinking (about or over)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thinking. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on thinking

Nglish: Translation of thinking for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thinking

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All