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.

American-style crosswords, on the other hand, require both knowledge and a degree of lateral thinking.

From BBC

The movement, Querdenken, which is German for lateral thinking, communicates and recruits over social media and has a large presence on the encrypted chat service Telegram, where its main channel has 65,000 subscribers.

From Seattle Times

“It required a bit of lateral thinking in so far as coming up with the design ... but it was a great feeling to be able to help him.”

From Reuters

Living through this extraordinary episode will call for vast reserves of lateral thinking, creativity and ingenuity.

From BBC

These dualities are powerful because they allow for lateral thinking.

From Scientific American