The cognitive meaning is "connected with thinking": the mental work of noticing, remembering, reasoning, learning, solving problems and using language. When a doctor talks about your cognitive health, or a teacher about a child's cognitive growth, they mean the brain's thinking jobs rather than feelings or the body.
Cognitive is an adjective. Its noun is cognition, the process of knowing and thinking. You will meet it most in psychology, medicine, education and science writing, and in a handful of fixed phrases such as cognitive bias and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Relating to thinking, knowing, memory and learningPart of speech
AdjectivePronunciation
KOG-nuh-tivWord forms
cognition (noun), cognitively (adverb)Origin
From Latin cognitus, known, from cognoscere, to get to knowContrast
Emotional (feelings), physical or motor (movement)Register
Formal; common in science, health and education
The cognitive meaning in everyday English
If someone asks you to define cognitive, a good short answer is "about thinking". A slightly fuller cognitive definition: relating to the mental processes we use to gain knowledge and understanding. These processes include:
- Attention: focusing on one thing and ignoring distractions
- Memory: storing and recalling information
- Reasoning: working things out and drawing conclusions, as in an inference
- Language: understanding and producing words
- Perception: making sense of what you see and hear (see perception)
- Problem solving and planning
So a cognitive task is one that mainly works the mind, like a crossword, a chess puzzle or a tax form.
Examples of cognitive in a sentence
- Sleep loss can slow your cognitive performance the next day.
- The nursery tracks each child's cognitive, social and physical development.
- Learning a second language is a good cognitive workout at any age.
- The job interview included a cognitive test with number and logic puzzles.
- After the fall, the doctor checked her for any cognitive changes.
Common phrases built on cognitive
| Phrase | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cognitive skills | Thinking abilities such as memory, focus and reasoning |
| Cognitive development | How thinking grows and changes from babyhood to adulthood |
| Cognitive bias | A built-in mental shortcut that tilts judgment in a predictable way (see bias) |
| Cognitive dissonance | The discomfort of holding two beliefs, or a belief and an action, that clash |
| Cognitive load | How much mental effort a task demands at once |
| Cognitive decline or impairment | A drop in memory or thinking ability, often with age or illness |
| Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) | A talking therapy that works on links between thoughts, feelings and actions |
| Cognitive science | The study of the mind, drawing on psychology, linguistics, computing and philosophy |
Cognitive, cognition and cognizant
These three share a root but play different roles. Cognitive is the adjective (cognitive ability). Cognition is the noun for the process itself (human cognition). Cognitively is the adverb (cognitively demanding work). Cognizant is a separate adjective meaning aware of something, as in cognizant of the risks. You cannot swap them: "I am cognitive of the risks" is wrong.
In British spelling, cognitive behavioral therapy becomes cognitive behavioural therapy, but cognitive itself is spelled the same everywhere.
Where the word comes from
Cognitive traces back to Latin cognitus, the past participle of cognoscere, to get to know or recognize. The same Latin family gives English recognize, incognito and cognizant. The word spread widely in the twentieth century as psychology began to study thinking directly, and the field called cognitive psychology took shape. Today it is standard in medicine and education worldwide, including in school curriculum documents in India and the US.
Cognitive versus emotional and physical
A helpful way to fix the meaning is to set it against its neighbors. Cognitive is about thinking. Emotional or affective is about feelings. Physical or motor is about the body and movement. A school report might say a child's cognitive skills are strong while social skills need support. A stroke may affect motor control, cognitive ability, or both.
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of cognitive in simple words?
Cognitive means to do with thinking. It covers how we pay attention, remember, learn, reason and understand. A cognitive skill is a thinking skill.
What is the definition of cognitive in psychology?
In psychology, cognitive refers to mental processes involved in acquiring, storing and using knowledge. Cognitive psychology studies attention, memory, language, perception and problem solving. You can browse related terms on the science and ideas hub.
How do you pronounce cognitive?
Say KOG-nuh-tiv, with the first syllable stressed. The g is pronounced, unlike in some French-origin words.
What does cognitive impairment mean?
It means a person has more trouble than expected with memory, focus, language or reasoning. It can be mild or severe and has many possible causes, some treatable. A doctor needs to assess it.
What is the difference between cognitive and cognizant?
Cognitive describes thinking processes, as in cognitive skills. Cognizant means aware, as in cognizant of the deadline. They are related in origin but not interchangeable.
Is cognitive a noun?
No, cognitive is an adjective. The noun is cognition. You say improve cognition or improve cognitive function, not improve cognitive on its own.