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thinking

thinking

872 1.8
Careful use of your mind to consider something
  • noun
  • /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/
translation icon : pensamiento
  • We can help students think mathematically and apply such thinking to the world around them.
  • critical thinking
  • thinking skills
  • creative thinking

What's, what's your process of one, thinking and two, doing it right?

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Examples

  • Critical and creative thinking are essential skills in today's job market.

  • This guy has a lot of thinking to do.

  • But that sort of thinking is coming back.

  • Help us hear their thinking with an open mind.

  • The time for thinking had all run out.

  • What if we focused on critical and creative thinking in the assessment process?

    Academic text (2011)
  • Interest in incorporating creativity and design thinking into professional education is growing.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Schools need to promote higher-order thinking in a way with which students can identify.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Practiced throughout nursing school, it becomes so ingrained in our thinking that we use it automatically.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Iraq was always more fundamental in al-Qaeda's thinking than was widely understood.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

thought
vsthinking
1.4

The process of thinking or an idea that comes from thinking

focuses on the ongoing mental process rather than single outcomes
reasoning
vsthinking
221 3.9

A way of thinking in a clear, logical order to form a conclusion

is broader, covering many mental activities not only logical methods
consideration
vsthinking
148 2.9

Careful thought or discussion before making a decision

is the general mental process rather than a decision step
reflection
vsthinking
119 3.7

Careful thought before making a decision

is the wider mental activity not limited to decision stages
thought process
vsthinking
43 3.7

Mental steps used to consider and solve a problem

refers more broadly to mental activity without step details
contemplation
vsthinking
25 4.8

Thinking about something very carefully for a long time

is the general mental process without the long duration
musing
vsthinking
25 6.3

A time when someone thinks quietly and deeply about something

is broader and can be shorter or more practical than that mood
meditation
vsthinking
22 3.9

A long, deep period of thinking about serious ideas

is general careful consideration rather than extended reflective practice
mentation
vsthinking
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A process of thinking carefully about something

is the everyday word for the same mental process
intellection
vsthinking
  • Specialized
1 9.6

Thinking carefully to understand or decide about something

is the plain expression for using the mind carefully
cogitation
vsthinking
  • Formal
1 8.5

Careful, deep thinking about something before deciding

covers general mental consideration rather than deep focused thought
cerebration
vsthinking
  • Formal
1 9.1

A careful, serious kind of thinking about something

is the normal, nontechnical word for that same deliberate activity
headwork
vsthinking
1 5.8

Careful thinking that helps solve a problem

covers broader mental activity not focused on effortful problem solving
brainwork
vsthinking
1 3.9

Thinking hard to solve problems and come up with new ideas

is broader, including casual or passive mental activity
excogitation
vsthinking
  • Formal
9.9

Careful deep thinking to solve a problem or create a new idea

is the normal mental activity, not only deep creative work

Idioms

To show surprise and criticism of a bad choice

Compounds

Thinking carefully about information to make a clear decision

wishful thinking
  • Informal
45 4.1

Believing something you want will happen even though it is unlikely

To think and react quickly when things go wrong

thinking cap
  • Informal
7 5.3

A quiet, focused way of thinking to solve a problem

Thinking in new ways to make things or solve problems

A careful use of reason to solve problems

A way to solve problems by looking at them from new angles

A way to find new, creative ideas to solve problems

To solve problems using new creative ideas

1 6.4

A way to find new ideas that ignores practical limits

convergent thinking
  • Specialized
7.4

A way of using facts and reason to reach a single correct answer

A way of thinking that comes up with many different ideas to solve a problem

A way of looking at a problem by breaking it into smaller parts to see how they work together

9.3

Slow to accept new ideas or change

Combining ideas from different fields to make a single clear whole

How Deep

reflection
119 3.7
thinking
872 1.8
consideration
148 2.9
thought
1.4

Surface Forms

thinking singular
thinkings plural

Morphology

thinking = think (transparent) = think + ing

The noun is a standard gerund nominalization of the verb 'think' and denotes the process of thinking, which is directly inferable.

Etymology

The word thinking comes from the old English word think, which meant 'to consider' or 'to have an idea', and the ending -ing turns it into the act or process. So thinking is the act of using your mind to consider or reason about something.