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 development

Mild cognitive impairment … involves a decline in mental acuity that is noticeable but not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia.

—Nicholas Bakalar

… researchers kept people just slightly sleep deprived … and watched the subjects' performance on cognitive tests plummet.

—James Hamblin

2

philosophy : based on or capable of being reduced to empirical factual knowledge

debate whether normative statements can be cognitive

cognitively adverb

Examples of cognitive in a Sentence

The best toys for toddlers engage their interests while developing their fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, and social skills. —Ashley Ziegler and Katrina Cossey, Parents, 12 Nov. 2024

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Colleges must remember that they have been set up to provide people with an education that stretches their cognitive abilities while preparing them for whatever comes next. — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

The dizzying evolution of AI picks up speed when Ilya gets Sam worked up about next-level AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence, theoretical technology with human-level cognitive capabilities. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

For example, the Dog Aging Project developed a battery of canine cognitive tests that researchers can use to study early changes in cognition and behavior before the dog shows neurologic symptoms. — Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026

Residents took part alongside professional actors playing people with cognitive impairments. — Elissa Suh, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin cognitīvus "concerned with knowing," from Latin cognitus, past participle of cognōscere "to get to know, acquire knowledge of" + -īvus -ive — more at cognition

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cognitive

• cognitive behavioral therapy
• cognitive behavior therapy
• cognitive dissonance
• cognitive science
• cognitive therapy

Rhymes for cognitive

• neurocognitive

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