lateral thinking
Approaching problems sideways
Lateral thinking is a problem-solving approach that seeks indirect, creative solutions rather than following obvious logical steps.
Where conventional thinking moves forward in predictable sequences, lateral thinking jumps sideways—reframing problems, questioning assumptions, or making unexpected connections: The puzzle requires lateral thinking; the direct approach won't work.
The term was coined by psychologist Edward de Bono in the 1960s.
Challenge testing ingenuity
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- heuristicsPractical problem-solving shortcuts
- workaroundMakeshift bypass of difficulty
breakthrough · reframing · solution · troubleshooting · strategy · approach · methodology · technique
Explanatory likeness between things
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- obliqueAngled, not straightforward
- tangentialBarely connected to main point
inference · juxtaposition · allusion · circumvention · recontextualization · sideways · roundabout · non-obvious
Faculty for forming ideas
- originalityNovel creative quality
- ingenuityClever, original thinking
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- noveltyQuality of being original
synthesis · inspiration · playfulness · flexibility · curiosity · reframing · abstraction · conceptualization
Sudden profound insight
- realizationGrasping what's true
- clarityState of being understandable
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- discernmentKeen perception and judgment
intuition · recognition · understanding · perspicacity · acumen · illumination · revelation · connection
Contrary to accepted practice
- nonlinearNot in sequence
- counterintuitiveContrary to expectations
- rule-breakingDisregarding established standards
- contrarianChronic majority-opposer
iconoclastic · disruptive · subversive · rebellious · avant-garde · heterodox · out-of-the-box · boundary-crossing
puzzle
Challenge testing ingenuity
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- heuristicsPractical problem-solving shortcuts
workaround · breakthrough · reframing · solution · troubleshooting · strategy · approach · methodology · technique · trial-and-error
analogy
Explanatory likeness between things
tangential · inference · juxtaposition · allusion · circumvention · recontextualization · sideways · roundabout · non-obvious · unexpected
imagination
Faculty for forming ideas
- originalityNovel creative quality
- ingenuityClever, original thinking
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
novelty · synthesis · inspiration · playfulness · flexibility · curiosity · reframing · abstraction · conceptualization · improvisation
epiphany
Sudden profound insight
- realizationGrasping what's true
- clarityState of being understandable
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
discernment · intuition · recognition · understanding · perspicacity · acumen · illumination · revelation · connection · gestalt
unorthodox
Contrary to accepted practice
- nonlinearNot in sequence
- counterintuitiveContrary to expectations
- rule-breakingDisregarding established standards
contrarian · iconoclastic · disruptive · subversive · rebellious · avant-garde · heterodox · out-of-the-box · boundary-crossing
- problem-solvingproblem solving, puzzles, riddles, logic, solutions
- puzzlespuzzles, sudoku, jigsaw puzzle, puzzle cube, crossword
- cognitionreasoning, thought, cognition, remembering, memory retrieval
- brain gamesbrainteasers, brain teasers, logic puzzles, puzzles, crossword puzzles
- brain teasersriddle, brain teaser, logic puzzles, puzzle, brainteasers
- Mental Challengeslogic puzzles, riddles, brain teasers, word games, paradoxes
lateral thinkinglinear thinking
Step-by-step logical progression
systematic thinking · logical reasoning · analytical thinking · deductive reasoning · direct approach
lateral thinkingdeductive reasoning
Deriving specifics from generalities
logical reasoning · formal logic · rigid thinking · analytical thinking · inductive reasoning
thinking, lateral, bilateral, laterally, unilateral, equilateral, bilaterally, laterals, multilateralism