lateral thinking

[lat-er-uhl thing-king] / ˈlæt ər əl ˈθɪŋ kɪŋ /

NOUN

problem-solving heuristic

Synonyms

WEAK

association of ideas idea association intuition intuitive reason meditation word association

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025

If these sorts of solutions to geological problems seem to come from left field, Dr. Petermann and Dr. Fastovsky both point out, that’s because they take a certain amount of lateral thinking to invent.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2022

Instead he tends to construct elaborate works of lateral thinking in his columns, moving from the general to the particular and back again, in amused pursuit of the perfect riff.

From The Guardian • Nov. 3, 2019

With a little bit of lateral thinking, you’ll realize the snake probably has it, but then you need to figure out how to get the snake to give it up.

From The Verge • Jun. 9, 2019

"Bear in mind, this is the end result of thousands of hours of work, testing, and lateral thinking by all the best guys at JPL."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir