cognitive
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
related to the mental processes of thinking, understanding, and learning.
relating to the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
Simple“The doctor tested the patient's cognitive skills after the head injury.”
In context“Researchers are investigating how sleep deprivation affects cognitive performance, specifically focusing on memory retention and logical reasoning tasks.”
UsageCommonly used in academic and medical contexts to describe brain function.
Teacher's tipWhile this is a technical term, it is very common in modern discussions about education, psychology, and health.
Synonyms
Usage cognitive abilities · cognitive behavioral · cognitive decline
“This is a problem because reading has a wealth of cognitive benefits that we’re in danger of missing out on.”
From Medieval Latin cognitīvus, from Latin cognitus, perfect passive participle of cognōscō (“I get to know”) + -īvus (adjective suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.