cogitation

American  

[koj-i-tey-shuhn] / ˌkɒdʒ ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. concerted thought or reflection; meditation; contemplation.

   After hours of cogitation he came up with a new proposal.

2. the faculty of thinking.

   She was a serious student and had a great power of cogitation.

3. a thought; design or plan.

   to jot down one's cogitations.

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Other Word Forms

• precogitation noun

Etymology

Origin of cogitation

1175–1225; Middle English cogitaciun < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin cōgitātiōn- (stem of cōgitātiō ), equivalent to cōgitāt ( us ) ( cogitate ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Cogitation is meditation or deep thinking. Big decisions should be made after cogitation. If people bug you while you’re thinking, impress them by telling them to wait until you’re done with your cogitation. When you’re done, you might shout, “Eureka!” This word — like the similar cognitive — has to do with thinking. Cogitation is an example of thinking, especially deep thinking. If someone is trying hard to remember something, they are deep in cogitation. Most people find cogitation easier in a quiet place, like a library. Engaging in cogitation is the opposite of acting rashly without thinking. If you like to ponder or mull things over, you enjoy cogitation. Cogitation means something similar to reflection and consideration.

Example Sentences

Psychologists know that people are credulous about the cognitive abilities of those who matter to them, overinterpreting simple responses as signs of cogitation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

But the output is mostly a simulacrum of human thought, not the product of cogitation.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023

At one extreme, there are those for whom a lifetime of rumination and cogitation offers an unparalleled sense of meaning.

From Salon • May 30, 2021

But even that scene moves; there isn’t a moment when Smallwood feels bogged down, by grad-school cogitation or anything else.

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2021

“Well,” said Joe, with the same appearance of profound cogitation, “he is not—no, not to deceive you, he is not—my nevvy.”

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens