lateral thinking

[lat-er-uhl thing-king]

noun

1. an approach to problem solving that involves nontraditional thought processes such as free association of ideas, creative analogy, pattern recognition, intuition, etc..

   This position requires lateral thinking, collaborative skills, and the ability to deal with ambiguity.

lateral thinking

noun

1. a way of solving problems by rejecting traditional methods and employing unorthodox and apparently illogical means

Word History and Origins

Origin of lateral thinking¹

Coined in 1967 by Maltese psychologist E. de Bono (1933–2021)

Example Sentences

He said the children were taught "maths, English and lateral thinking" in the mornings, then "booted out" to explore the island.

From BBC

"The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules," he said.

From BBC

This year the public has been challenged to decode the names of UK landmarks, testing skills including codebreaking, maths and lateral thinking.

From BBC

This year's puzzle challenges the public to decode the names of UK landmarks, testing skills like codebreaking, maths and lateral thinking.

From BBC

If these sorts of solutions to geological problems seem to come from left field, Dr. Petermann and Dr. Fastovsky both point out, that’s because they take a certain amount of lateral thinking to invent.

From New York Times