thinking

1 of 2

noun

think·​ing ˈthiŋ-kiŋ How to pronounce thinking (audio)
1
: the action of using one's mind to produce thoughts
2
a
: opinion, judgment
I'd like to know your thinking on this
b
: thought that is characteristic (as of a period, group, or person)
the current student thinking on fraternities

thinking

2 of 2

adjective

: marked by use of the intellect : rational
thinking citizens
thinkingly adverb
thinkingness noun

Examples of thinking in a Sentence

Noun Form your own opinions: don't let others do your thinking for you! I've been doing some thinking about this, and I don't think you're right after all. The school's curriculum encourages independent thinking. A piece of quick thinking got us out of trouble. I'd like to know your thinking on this. What is the current thinking on the subject? Adjective Chess is a thinking man's game. it's surprising to find thinking people who believe such nonsense
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Much of Winfrey’s special discussed people’s personal experiences with weight loss, including mental shifts in thinking of obesity as a disease rather than a moral failing. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report identified durable skills like leadership, social influence, and creative thinking as among the attributes most coveted by executives and leaders. Bijal Shah, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 Defining purgatory The idea of purifying fires and a waiting place before final judgment existed in Christian thinking long before Patrick’s lifetime. Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 Knitwear designers are used to this mode of thinking. Alden Wicker, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 This way of thinking about colorblindness has reached its legal apotheosis on the Roberts court, where through rulings on schools and voting the Supreme Court has helped constitutionalize a colorblindness that leaves racial disparities intact while striking down efforts to ameliorate them. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The seductiveness of binary thinking, Stern says, is what attracts individuals like McVeigh to hate groups, where this proclivity takes extreme form. Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 This kind of thinking, including the eagerness to experiment with new technologies, is what first drew Arneson and Sohbati together. Paola Singer, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2024 Gamma waves are fast-frequency brain waves associated with thinking skills and memory, and people with Alzheimer’s are known to have fewer of these fast brain waves. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Nibert loved the free-thinking spirit of the village and its college. Keith Bierygolick, Cincinnati.com, 28 Aug. 2019 Credit Gus Malzahn for being proactive and thinking long-term in choosing his starting quarterback. Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 22 Aug. 2019 The quick-thinking team administrator came up with a solution – flag down a tour bus. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 June 2018 These are the most vulnerable parts [of the brain] and can be easily damaged, so your libido can run a bit more wild when it’s not being curtailed by the higher thinking part of the brain. Kate Morgan, The Cut, 20 Apr. 2018 Sometimes surgeries require more thinking beforehand. Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2017 These moments suggest a thinking failure of his own: a failure to examine the inapt moral equivalences and disguised elitism inherent in his brand of provocation. Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2017 Which is why the response by any thinking Republican, or one even with a modicum of decency, was complete silence. Stephen A. Nuño, NBC News, 2 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thinking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1674, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thinking was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near thinking

Cite this Entry

“Thinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thinking. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thinking

1 of 2 noun
1
: the action of using one's mind to produce thoughts
2
a
: opinion sense 1, judgment
it is, to my thinking, utter nonsense
b
: thought entry 2 sense 2
the current thinking on the subject

thinking

2 of 2 adjective
: marked by use of the power of thinking
thinking citizens

More from Merriam-Webster on thinking

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