thinking
Mind at work
Thinking is the mental activity of reasoning, considering, or reflecting.
It can describe careful thought: After much thinking, she decided to accept the job.
As an adjective, thinking suggests someone inclined to reason rather than react: Any thinking person would question that claim.
To put on your thinking cap is to concentrate on solving a problem.
Observing one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
musing · brooding · self-examination · mindfulness · reverie · self-awareness · deliberation · consideration
Science of valid reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- rationaleStated basis for action
argumentation · premise · syllogism · validity · analysis · synthesis · abstraction · conceptualization
Mental reasoning capacity
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
knowledge · mental · cognitive · brainpower · consciousness · mindset · insight · judgment
Act of selecting
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
- optionsAvailable courses of action
- alternativesOther available options
consequences · trade-offs · prioritization · weighing · selection · preference · indecision · resolve
Generating many ideas freely
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- innovationCreating something original
- ideationForming mental concepts
- originalityNovel creative quality
inspiration · ingenuity · invention · visionary · novelty · divergent · unconventional · inventiveness
Testable proposed explanation
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
- thesisAcademic argument requiring defense
postulation · supposition · framework · conceptual · abstract · theoretical · assumption · model
Answer or liquid mixture
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- troubleshootingSystematic fault diagnosis
- challengeTest of ability
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
algorithm · heuristic · optimization · analytical · debugging · tactics · remedy · planning
introspection
Observing one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
pondering · musing · brooding · self-examination · mindfulness · reverie · self-awareness · deliberation · consideration · absorption
logic
Science of valid reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
rationale · argumentation · premise · syllogism · validity · analysis · synthesis · abstraction · conceptualization · conclusion
intellect
Mental reasoning capacity
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
awareness · knowledge · mental · cognitive · brainpower · consciousness · mindset · insight · judgment · discernment
choice
Act of selecting
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
- optionsAvailable courses of action
alternatives · consequences · trade-offs · prioritization · weighing · selection · preference · indecision · resolve · commitment
brainstorming
Generating many ideas freely
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- innovationCreating something original
- ideationForming mental concepts
originality · inspiration · ingenuity · invention · visionary · novelty · divergent · unconventional · inventiveness · conceptualizing
hypothesis
Testable proposed explanation
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
thesis · postulation · supposition · framework · conceptual · abstract · theoretical · assumption · model · paradigm
solution
Answer or liquid mixture
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- troubleshootingSystematic fault diagnosis
- challengeTest of ability
diagnosis · algorithm · heuristic · optimization · analytical · debugging · tactics · remedy · planning · adaptation
- activitiesbowling, climbing, exercise, eating, baking
- gerundswalking, running, talking, eating, sleeping
- problem-solvingproblem solving, puzzles, riddles, logic, solutions
- thinkingreasoning, ponder, contemplate, pondering, contemplating
- cognitionreasoning, cognition, remembering, memory retrieval, attention
- mental processesreasoning, cognition, pondering, attention, contemplating
thinkingunthinking
Lacking conscious thought
mindless · thoughtless · nonthinking · brainless · vacuous
thinkingirrational
Lacking sound judgment
unreasoning · illogical · unreasonable · nonrational · nonsensical
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
- thinking of youMental focus on someone
- thinking aboutMentally focusing on
- thinking out loudVerbalizing one's reasoning
- thinking aheadMental preparation for future
- good thinkingPraise for sound logic
unthinking, thinkin', rethinking, overthinking, thinking cap, outthinking