Meanings
noundivergent thinking (uncountable)
- uncountableA cognitive process that involves generating multiple, unique solutions to open-ended problems or questions.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthinking 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
Similar
out-of-the-box thinking
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Coined by Joy Paul Guilford in 1956.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
divergent thinking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/divergent%20thinking
MLA
“divergent thinking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/divergent%20thinking. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “divergent thinking,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/divergent%20thinking.
Source: divergent thinking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.