lateral thinking

American  

[lat-er-uhl thing-king] / ˈlæt ər əl ˈθɪŋ kɪŋ /

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 British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of lateral thinking

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

Example Sentences

"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 • Jun. 3, 2025

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 • Dec. 26, 2022

He also said that dyslexic people’s ability to “think differently”, with a higher likelihood of having skills like visualisation and lateral thinking, was becoming more highly prized by employers.

From The Guardian • Dec. 7, 2021

With a little bit of lateral thinking, you’ll realize the snake probably has it, but then you need to figure out how to get the snake to give it up.

From The Verge • Jun. 9, 2019

"Bear in mind, this is the end result of thousands of hours of work, testing, and lateral thinking by all the best guys at JPL."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir