Synonym Chooser

How is the word cogitate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of cogitate are deliberate, reason, reflect, speculate, and think. While all these words mean "to use one's powers of conception, judgment, or inference," cogitate implies deep or intent thinking.

cogitated on the mysteries of nature

When is it sensible to use deliberate instead of cogitate?

The words deliberate and cogitate can be used in similar contexts, but deliberate suggests slow or careful reasoning before forming an opinion or reaching a conclusion or decision.

the jury deliberated for five hours

When might reason be a better fit than cogitate?

Although the words reason and cogitate have much in common, reason stresses consecutive logical thinking.

able to reason brilliantly in debate

When is reflect a more appropriate choice than cogitate?

In some situations, the words reflect and cogitate are roughly equivalent. However, reflect suggests unhurried consideration of something recalled to the mind.

reflecting on fifty years of married life

When can speculate be used instead of cogitate?

While in some cases nearly identical to cogitate, speculate implies reasoning about things theoretical or problematic.

speculated on the fate of the lost explorers

In what contexts can think take the place of cogitate?

The words think and cogitate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, think is general and may apply to any mental activity, but used alone often suggests attainment of clear ideas or conclusions.

teaches students how to think

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cogitate Yet the evidence for cogitating pond scum grows daily. Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024 With the eruptions and disruptions of digital mass culture as its Ferrari-level engine, often represented by the roaring drama of sport, Pfeiffer’s art cogitates on power as an ongoing campaign waged between the individual and the crowd. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 While Wall Street and Private Equity leaders have the time to leisurely cogitate the long view, business leaders (CEO’s, CMO’s, etc) have to make commitments today with real dollars based on their best guesses about the state of the consumer next fall and spring. Greg Petro, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 Dyson presents mathematical arguments that these beings can, through shrewd conservation of energy, maintain the resources needed to survive, cogitate and communicate in an eternally expanding cosmos. John Horgan, Scientific American, 16 June 2021 As his characters cogitate and self-medicate, scheme and philosophize, his subject is less the content of their thoughts than the mind contemplating itself. Washington Post, 11 June 2021 Jermaine uncovers America's obsession with capitalism and its cogitating impact on his everyday decision making, as well as those around him. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2018 Penrose believes that Hawking's condition has forced him to work more creatively, to take imaginative leaps where someone with a less uncertain future might want to cogitate a little longer. Jerry Adler, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2018 But Long, one of the revelers, (Ensemble regular James Rankin, always terrific) has been cogitating, too -- about their lot in life. Andrea Simakis, cleveland.com, 9 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogitate
Verb
  • These appear to be slightly more survivable, although the casualty rate is so high no Western army would contemplate such tactics.
    David Hambling, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Smart’s captors subjected her to rape daily, something that drove her to the point of contemplating suicide.
    Stephanie Kaloi, People.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Tyler Dragon ponders if Rodgers actually makes the Steelers better.
    Jim Reineking, USA Today, 7 June 2025
  • Tatis pondered the question of whether being hit has affected his hitting in any way.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • The audience is pulled in, and ultimately entertained, not just by the impeccable performances, but via an inside look at average, everyday people.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • The day of 19th-century-style outdoor recreation will feature a variety of traditional lawn games that once entertained early Californians, such as wheelbarrow races, sack races and tug-of-war.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • As always, any changes will be considered in accordance with local legal obligations.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2025
  • But unifying the roughly 50 canvases is a realism that digs beneath the surface to consider her subjects’ complex inner lives.
    Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 10 June 2025
Verb
  • While the cause and eventual outcome can be debated, the immediate impact was felt with shares of Tesla falling 14% on Thursday.
    JJ Kinahan, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • The Senate passed the bill on a vote of 19 to 13, which happened more than 16 hours after the chamber was scheduled to debate it.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • And though regrowing entire human limbs still seems like the distant stuff of science fiction, Monaghan said studying the signaling function of retinoic acid in these amphibians could help develop new human healing methods and gene therapies.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
  • Phillippe and Brubaker both attended the University of California, Berkeley Both Brubaker and Phillippe studied at the University of California, Berkeley, for their undergraduate degrees.
    Caroline Blair, People.com, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • Some might find the introduction of a major conflict — when a different date turns nightmarish for Sophie, causing Lucy to question her certainties about what makes a good match and berate herself for failing to spot red flags — to be a heavy-handed nudge toward a resolution.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
  • The announcement also prompted concern among bloggers who write about Disney parks in California and Florida, who questioned the impact the restrictions could have on the thousands who visit the parks each year from Venezuela.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cogitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogitate. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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