cog·ni·tive \ˈkägnəd.iv, -ətiv\adjective Etymology:cognition + -ive 1.: of, relating to, or being conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, or learning words) < the cognitive elements of perception — C.H.Hamburg > 2.: based on or capable of being reduced to empirical factual knowledge < to debate whether normative statements can be cognitive > • cognitivelyadverb