lateral thinking
1
5.3
- noun
- /ˈlætərəl ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/
:
pensamiento lateral
- In addition to thinking critically and strategically, embrace lateral thinking.
That's why children are absolutely amazing at their lateral thinking or the ability to think across different domains within an instant.
- That's why children are absolutely amazing at their lateral thinking or the ability to think across different domains within an instant.
Examples
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Some people call this critical or lateral thinking, and it is fundamental to all scientific disciplines.
Academic text (2007) -
Using lateral thinking, you make connections that are invisible to others with more.
Blog text (32) -
Chamberlin (1890) espouses a worldview that values lateral thinking and multiple possibilities.
Academic text (2007) -
Edward DeBono advises us to use lateral thinking (as opposed to vertical or logical, linear thinking) as a way to overcome stances that have become cast in concrete.
Academic text (1992) -
Using lateral thinking, I found a solution that everyone else had overlooked.
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She employed lateral thinking to create an innovative marketing strategy.
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In class, we often practice lateral thinking to enhance our problem-solving skills.
Synonyms
5
3.7
Thinking in new ways to make things or solve problems
1
4.6
A way to find new, creative ideas to solve problems
A way of solving problems by putting different ideas together to make new ones
A way of thinking that comes up with many different ideas to solve a problem
Antonyms
How Creative
- Jargon
1
4.6
5
3.7
1
5.3
2
4.1
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'lateral' (of or relating to a side) with 'thinking' (use of the mind), so the image of 'thinking from the side' or 'from different angles' is derivable from the constituents. However, the shift from a physical side to a figurative problem-solving strategy and its status as a specific cognitive technique may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Lateral thinking gives a simple picture: lateral means 'to the side', so imagine walking around a problem to find a new way in. That's why lateral thinking means using 'new or different angles' to solve a problem.