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

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

Observance could be as simple as remembering a delightful idea you’ve had, recalling a time when sustained cogitation led to an eventual aha!, or writing a math-related poem.

From Slate • Oct. 14, 2016

The average squirrel cogitation goes something like this: I wonder what there is to eat.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo