cogitative

American  

[koj-i-tey-tiv] / ˈkɒdʒ ɪˌteɪ tɪv /

adjective

1. meditating; contemplating.

   The cogitative faculty distinguishes humans from animals.

2. given to meditation; thoughtful.

   The leaders sat in cogitative silence.

---

cogitative British  

/ ˈkɒdʒɪtətɪv /

adjective

1. capable of thinking

2. thoughtful

---

Other Word Forms

• cogitatively adverb
• cogitativeness noun

Etymology

Origin of cogitative

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin cōgitātīvus, equivalent to cōgitāt(us) ( see cogitate) + -īvus adjective suffix ( see -ive)

Example Sentences

But differences emerged in the slower, more effortful cogitative phase that followed, leading to divergent success rates in the end: 18 percent for the mathematics students versus 6 percent for the history students.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2018

His saxophone emits a broad and smoky sound, with a measured inflection that gives the music an unhurried, cogitative pacing.

From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2017

He pushed his helmet back on his head, a cogitative move.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Much musing upon the strange circumstances thus disclosed, and profoundly cogitative on the best mode of action to be pursued, the "small hours," the first of them at least, surprised me in my arm-chair.

From The Experiences of a Barrister, and Confessions of an Attorney by Warren, Samuel

He wandered about the ample pile, or along the garden-terrace, with 'his cogitative faculties immersed in cogibundity of cogitation.'

From Nightmare Abbey by Peacock, Thomas Love