thought
Thought is the process of using your mind to consider something. It can also be the product of that process: an idea or just the thing you’re thinking about.
Thought can also refer to the organized beliefs of a period, individual, or group. If you’re writing an essay about the Reformation, you’ll probably want to summarize early Catholic thought regarding free will and predestination. This word can also be used to describe a personal belief or judgment you can’t prove or be entirely certain of.
Definitions of thought
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the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
“the
thought never entered my mind”-
synonyms:
idea-
types:
- show 84 types…
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inspiration
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
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cogitation
a carefully considered thought about something
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concept, conception, construct
an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances
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preoccupation
an idea that preoccupies the mind and holds the attention
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misconception
an incorrect conception
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plan, program, programme
a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
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figment
a contrived or fantastic idea
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generalisation, generality, generalization
an idea or conclusion having general application
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suggestion
an idea that is suggested
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belief, feeling, impression, notion, opinion
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
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reaction
an idea evoked by some experience
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theorem
an idea accepted as a demonstrable truth
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notion, whim, whimsey, whimsy
an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
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meaning, substance
the idea that is intended
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burden
the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse
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motif, theme
a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
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ideal
the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
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idealisation, idealization
something that exists only as an idea
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keynote
a fundamental or central idea
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kink
an eccentric idea
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fixation, obsession
an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone
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hang-up
an emotional preoccupation
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hobbyhorse
a topic to which one constantly reverts
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germ, seed, source
anything that provides inspiration for later work
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mother
a condition that is the inspiration for an activity or situation
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afflatus
a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration
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conceptualisation, conceptuality, conceptualization
an elaborated concept
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notion
a general inclusive concept
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self-absorption
preoccupation with yourself to the exclusion of everything else
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category
a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme
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regulation, rule
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
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attribute, dimension, property
a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished
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abstract, abstraction
a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
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quantity
the concept that something has a magnitude and can be represented in mathematical expressions by a constant or a variable
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division, part, section
one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole
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whole
all of something including all its component elements or parts
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law, natural law
a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
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law, law of nature
a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature
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lexicalized concept
a concept that is expressed by a word (in some particular language)
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hypothesis, possibility, theory
a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena
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fact
a concept whose truth can be proved
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audit program, audit programme
a listing of audit procedures to be performed in completing an audit
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outline, schema, scheme
a schematic or preliminary plan
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fallacy, false belief
a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
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erroneous belief, error
a misconception resulting from incorrect information
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self-deceit, self-deception
a misconception that is favorable to the person who holds it
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misapprehension, mistake, misunderstanding
an understanding of something that is not correct
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fancy, fantasy, illusion, phantasy
something many people believe that is false
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delusion, hallucination
a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea
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master plan
a long-term outline of a project or government function
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blueprint, design, pattern
something intended as a guide for making something else
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plan of action
a plan for actively doing something
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regime, regimen
(medicine) a systematic plan for therapy (often including diet)
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project, projection
a planned undertaking
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agenda, docket, schedule
a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to
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pension account, pension plan, retirement account, retirement plan, retirement program, retirement savings account, retirement savings plan
a plan for setting aside money to be spent after retirement
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employee savings plan
a plan that allows employees to contribute to an investment pool managed the employer
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guideline, road map
a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action
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stock purchase plan
an organized plan for employees of a company to buy shares of its stock
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principle, rule, tenet
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
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glimmer, glimmering, inkling, intimation
a slight suggestion or vague understanding
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posthypnotic suggestion
a suggestion that is made to a person who is hypnotized that specifies an action he will perform (usually in response to a cue) after he has awakened
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presence
the impression that something is present
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effect
an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived)
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first blush
at the first glimpse or impression
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Bayes’ theorem
(statistics) a theorem describing how the conditional probability of a set of possible causes for a given observed event can be computed from knowledge of the probability of each cause and the conditional probability of the outcome of each cause
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hunch, intuition, suspicion
an impression that something might be the case
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topos
a traditional theme or motif or literary convention
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semantics
the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text
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implication, import, significance, subtext
a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
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strain, tenor
the general meaning or substance of an utterance
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undercurrent, undertone
a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning
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denotation, extension, reference
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to
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reference
the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to
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connotation
an idea that is implied or suggested
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value
an ideal accepted by some individual or group
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beau ideal, idol, paragon, perfection
an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept
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criterion, standard
the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
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example, exemplar, good example, model
something to be imitated
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ego ideal
(psychoanalysis) the part of the ego that contains an ideal of personal excellence toward which a person strives
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mirage
something illusory and unattainable
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unsoundness
a misconception that is fallacious and not true or valid
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linguistic rule, rule
(linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice
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budget
a summary of intended expenditures along with proposals for how to meet them
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type of:
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cognitive content, content, mental object
the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned
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a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
“what are your
thoughts on Haiti?”-
synonyms:
opinion, persuasion, reckoning, sentiment, view-
types:
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idea
a personal view
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judgement, judgment, mind
an opinion formed by judging something
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eyes
opinion or judgment
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parti pris, preconceived idea, preconceived notion, preconceived opinion, preconception, prepossession
an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence
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pole
one of two divergent or mutually exclusive opinions
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political sympathies, politics
the opinion you hold with respect to political questions
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conclusion, decision, determination, verdict
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
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type of:
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belief
any cognitive content held as true
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the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
“she paused for
thought”-
synonyms:
cerebration, intellection, mentation, thinking, thought process-
types:
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free association
a thought process in which ideas (words or images) suggest other ideas in a sequence
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construction, mental synthesis
the creation of a construct; the process of combining ideas into a congruous object of thought
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abstract thought, logical thinking, reasoning
thinking that is coherent and logical
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line of thought
a particular way of thinking that is characteristic of some individual or group
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thread, train of thought
the connections that link the various parts of an event or argument together
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mysticism
obscure or irrational thought
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ideation
the process of forming and relating ideas
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consideration
the process of giving careful thought to something
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excogitation
thinking something out with care in order to achieve complete understanding of it
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explanation
thought that makes something comprehensible
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planning, preparation, provision
the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening
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problem solving
the thought processes involved in solving a problem
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convergent thinking
thinking that brings together information focussed on solving a problem (especially solving problems that have a single correct solution)
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divergent thinking, out-of-the-box thinking
thinking that moves away in diverging directions so as to involve a variety of aspects and which sometimes lead to novel ideas and solutions; associated with creativity
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interpretation, interpreting, rendering, rendition
an explanation of something that is not immediately obvious
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crystallisation, crystallization
a mental synthesis that becomes fixed or concrete by a process resembling crystal formation
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gestation
the conception and development of an idea or plan
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analysis, analytic thinking
the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations
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argument, argumentation, line, line of reasoning, logical argument
a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning
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conjecture
reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence
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deduction, deductive reasoning, synthesis
reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect)
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illation, inference
the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation
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anticipation, prediction, prevision
the act of predicting (as by reasoning about the future)
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ratiocination
logical and methodical reasoning
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reasoning backward, regress
the reasoning involved when you assume the conclusion is true and reason backward to the evidence
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synthesis, synthetic thinking
the combination of ideas into a complex whole
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advisement, deliberation, weighing
careful consideration
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exploration
a systematic consideration
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contemplation, musing, reflection, reflexion, rumination, thoughtfulness
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
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principle, rationale
(law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature)
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key
something crucial for explaining
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rationalisation, rationalization
the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason
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agreement, arrangement
the thing arranged or agreed to
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applecart
the planning that is disrupted when someone `upsets the applecart’
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malice aforethought, mens rea
(law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials
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calculation, deliberation
planning something carefully and intentionally
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forethought, premeditation
planning or plotting in advance of acting
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enquiry, inquiry, research
a search for knowledge
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calculation, computation, figuring, reckoning
problem solving that involves numbers or quantities
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theory
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
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type of:
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higher cognitive process
cognitive processes that presuppose the availability of knowledge and put it to use
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the organized beliefs of a period or group or individual
“19th century
thought”“Darwinian
thought”-
types:
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mainstream
the prevailing current of thought
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type of:
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belief
any cognitive content held as true
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mainstream
Word Family