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critical thinking

American

[krit-i-kuhl thing-king] / ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl ˈθɪŋ kɪŋ /

noun

disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.

The questions are intended to develop your critical thinking.

Etymology

Origin of critical thinking

First recorded in 1810–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

critical thinking

As students turn to chatbots for schoolwork, teachers and parents also worry that teens will use the tools to cheat or avoid practicing critical thinking skills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Truly creative and inspiring art undermines that goal, because it provokes responses like empathy and critical thinking in audiences — which gets in the way of authoritarian domination.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

One 2025 MIT study went viral for its finding that students using generative AI to write essays displayed less critical thinking capability.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

By and large, I don’t think most Americans are inclined toward that kind of structured, critical thinking about money and mortality.

From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026

I try to make it seem like I’m also pondering something, even though I’ve hit my limit of critical thinking for the day.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023