cogitate
cogitating; cogitated; cogitates
To cogitate is a fancy way of saying to think hard about. If you spend a lot of time figuring out exactly how your French teacher does her hair, you are cogitating in order to avoid conjugating.
Cogitate can be used both transitively or intransitively, which means you can cogitate on something, like your history project or why your computer never seems to work the way you want it to. Or you can simply sit in your room and cogitate.
Definitions of cogitate
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consider carefully and deeply; reflect upon; turn over in one's mind
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type of:
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chew over, contemplate, excogitate, meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, reflect, ruminate, speculate, think over
reflect deeply on a subject
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chew over, contemplate, excogitate, meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, reflect, ruminate, speculate, think over
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use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments
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types:
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puzzle over
try to solve
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rationalise, rationalize
think rationally; employ logic or reason
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think
have or formulate in the mind
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philosophise, philosophize
reason philosophically
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brainstorm
try to solve a problem by thinking intensely about it
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chew over, contemplate, excogitate, meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, reflect, ruminate, speculate, think over
reflect deeply on a subject
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reason
think logically
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conclude, reason, reason out
decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion
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evaluate, judge, pass judgment
form a critical opinion of
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contemplate, meditate, study
think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
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plan
make plans for something
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associate, colligate, connect, link, link up, relate, tie in
make a logical or causal connection
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center, centre, concentrate, focus, pore, rivet
direct one's attention on something
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devote, give, pay
dedicate
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think about
have on one's mind, think about actively
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think
ponder; reflect on, or reason about
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think
decide by pondering, reasoning, or reflecting
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rove
(of the mind or thoughts) move or wander from one topic to another; think about in an aimless way
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absorb, engross, engulf, immerse, plunge, soak up, steep
devote (oneself) fully to
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remember
exercise, or have the power of, memory
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rationalise away, rationalize away
substitute a natural for a supernatural explanation of
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premeditate
think or reflect beforehand or in advance
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theologise, theologize
make theoretical speculations about theology or discuss theological subjects
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introspect
reflect on one's own thoughts and feelings
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theorize
form or construct theories
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theorize
construct a theory about
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ratiocinate
reason methodologically and logically
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induce
reason or establish by induction
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deduce, deduct, derive, infer
reason by deduction; establish by deduction
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calculate, cipher, compute, cypher, figure, reckon, work out
make a mathematical calculation or computation
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syllogise, syllogize
reason by syllogisms
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categorise, categorize
place into or assign to a category
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grade, order, place, range, rank, rate
assign a rank or rating to
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stand
have or maintain a position or stand on an issue
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approve
judge to be right or commendable; think well of
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disapprove
consider bad or wrong
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schedule
plan for an activity or event
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choose
see fit or proper to act in a certain way; decide to act in a certain way
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prejudge
judge beforehand, especially without sufficient evidence
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appraise, assess, evaluate, measure, valuate, value
evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of
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reappraise
appraise anew
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bethink
consider or ponder something carefully
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reject
refuse to accept or acknowledge
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accept
consider or hold as true
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believe, conceive, consider, think
judge or regard; look upon; judge
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chart
plan in detail
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project, propose
present for consideration, examination, criticism, etc.
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compose, draw up, frame
make up plans or basic details for
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plot
plan secretly, usually something illegal
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scheme
devise a system or form a scheme for
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designate, destine, intend, specify
design or destine
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direct, engineer, mastermind, orchestrate, organise, organize
plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
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lay out
provide a detailed plan or design
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calculate, count on, estimate, figure, forecast, reckon
judge to be probable
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interrelate
place into a mutual relationship
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correlate
bring into a mutual, complementary, or reciprocal relation
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identify
conceive of as united or associated
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free-associate
associate freely
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feel, find
come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds
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anticipate, expect
regard something as probable or likely
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recall
cause one's (or someone else's) thoughts or attention to return from a reverie or digression
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think
focus one's attention on a certain state
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mind
be concerned with or about something or somebody
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ascribe, assign, attribute, impute
attribute or credit to
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have in mind, mean, think of
intend to refer to
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consider, deal, look at, take
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
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assign, attribute
decide as to where something belongs in a scheme
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schedule
make a schedule; plan the time and place for events
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disapprove, reject
deem wrong or inappropriate
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adjudge, declare, hold
declare to be
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critique, review
appraise critically
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question, wonder
place in doubt or express doubtful speculation
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speculate
talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion
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deduce, infer
conclude by reasoning; in logic
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gather
conclude from evidence
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extrapolate, generalise, generalize, infer
draw from specific cases for more general cases
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puzzle
be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide
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zoom in
examine closely; focus one's attention on
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consider, study
give careful consideration to
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hear, listen, take heed
listen and pay attention
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fail
judge unacceptable
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pass
accept or judge as acceptable
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essay, examine, prove, test, try, try out
put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘cogitate'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing cogitate
Operation Sisterhood
When eleven-year-old Tokunbo Marshall moves with her mother into a Harlem brownstone, she must adjust to an extended family that includes three new sisters who see everything in life as a possible project in their self-designed education.
Each Little Bird That Sings
Although ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger grew up in a family that runs a funeral parlor, she must learn to confront the feelings of loss after death suddenly hits close to home.
King of the Mound
After a bout of polio, Nick is unsure if he will ever be able to play baseball again — but he draws inspiration from star pitcher Satchel Paige.
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