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cognitive
adjective
cog·ni·tive
ˈkäg-nə-tiv
1
: of, relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering)
cognitive impairment
2
: based on or capable of being reduced to empirical factual knowledge
cognitively
adverb
Examples of cognitive in a Sentence
Homo sapiens' survival is founded in their filling an evolutionary niche referred to as the cognitive niche.
—Daniel Grassam, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 2001
Researchers are debating whether heading balls can dent the cognitive skills of young soccer players for life.
—Lisa McLaughlin, Time, 5 June 2000
Further into the forebrain, motor functions trail off and cognitive functions, involving planning and thinking about the future, begin.
—Sandra Blakeslee, New York Times, 8 Nov. 1994
Recent Examples on the Web
The cause of this finding is unclear—whether the fall happened because of undiagnosed dementia or if the fall somehow contributed to cognitive decline later remains unknown.
—Kristen Fischer, Health, 20 Nov. 2024
His supporters remained loyal because of, not in spite of, court cases, conspiracies, and cognitive questions.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
Along with memory problems and changes in cognitive thinking, losing your sense of smell could be an early indicator of dementia, according to a report in Parade.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 18 Nov. 2024
Preliminary results suggest that rats required to wait for their rewards show signs of shifting from a pessimistic cognitive style to an optimistic one in a test designed to measure rodent optimism.
—Kelly Lambert, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
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Word History
Phrases Containing cognitive
Articles Related to cognitive
Dictionary Entries Near cognitive
Cite this Entry
“Cognitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognitive. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
cognitive
adjective
cog·ni·tive
ˈkäg-nət-iv
: of, relating to, or being conscious mental activities (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, learning words, and using language)
Medical Definition
cognitive
adjective
cog·ni·tive
ˈkäg-nət-iv
: of, relating to, or being conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, or learning words)
the cognitive elements of perception—C. H. Hamburg
cognitively
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on cognitive
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cognitive
Nglish: Translation of cognitive for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of cognitive for Arabic Speakers
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