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
Which is why the response by any thinking Republican, or one even with a modicum of decency, was complete silence. — Stephen A. Nuño, NBC News, 2 June 2017 Credit Gus Malzahn for being proactive and thinking long-term in choosing his starting quarterback. — Creg Stephenson | [email protected], al, 22 Aug. 2019
Noun
Some research actually supports Moin and Hellendrung’s thinking. — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 The team’s supporters departed Pais MX late Friday evening thinking of the magic of 2014, when Colombia played all the way to the quarterfinals in Brazil. — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
Verb
Mahoney says, for example, many consumers tend to be myopic - being laser-focused on things like the upfront sticker price of a good or service, but not thinking about the overall cost and experience of dealing with a company. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 7 July 2026 Nearby, Mariana Roufett packed boxes of humanitarian aid while thinking about her childhood friend and her family, who remain missing. — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 30 June 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
  • The value equation was rational, transactional and easy to understand.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Perhaps there was a rational explanation for the man outside her apartment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Definition of rational
Noun
  • Mindful downtime, including meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or reading instead of screen time, promotes better sleep and mental quiet.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Residential patients will also have access to a stickball court, garden space for traditional foods, a gym and room for meditation.
    — Sarah Liese, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of meditation
Verb
  • The market does not reward investors simply for believing harder.
    — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Shares of the software companies were up after Guggenheim upgraded both to buy, believing that artificial intelligence won’t be a death knell for the companies and attractive valuations in the stocks.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 1 July 2026
Definition of believing
Adjective
  • The robot staff behind the scenes Pudu's FlashBot will run an intelligent vending system, allowing guests to order drink deliveries by smartphone.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • His after-game interviews were always intelligent and sometimes humorous.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of intelligent
Noun
  • Trish and Dan Bell Chapel The Trish and Dan Bell Chapel will serve as a gathering place for worship, contemplation and spiritual strengthening at FIU.
    — Florida International University, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
  • Many crude laughs were bolstered by the attached contemplation.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 June 2026
Definition of contemplation
Verb
  • As has been the norm this summer, seasonal storms kept attendees guessing about whether the July 4 tradition would go forward until downbeat.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Just like his previous assist for Dembele, both came from sneaky passes into the box, the first for Bradley Barcola after another mazy run and cheeky nutmeg on the defender, keeping Gustaf Lagerbielke guessing before rolling it through his legs.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of guessing
Noun
  • The soccer world has moved on from the idea that a coach must share his players' blood and that a team’s identity is just a reflection of an unchanging national character.
    — Michael Morris, Time, 1 July 2026
  • The country is gearing up to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, adding festivities and reflection to this year’s holiday.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of reflection
Verb
  • Why Overreaction Is Dangerous The immune analogy becomes especially useful when considering failure modes.
    — Abhik Biswas, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The Facebook parent is also considering selling raw computing capacity à la neocloud companies like CoreWeave, according to the report.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 2 July 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 9 Jul. 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 tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All