Meanings
nounthought experiment (plural thought experiments)
plural thought experiments
- human sciencesAn attempt to solve a problem using the power of human imagination.
Origin
- GermanGedankenexperiment
- Englishthought experiment
A calque of German Gedankenexperiment.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 思想實驗 /思想实验
- 思想實驗 /思想实验 (sīxiǎng shíyàn)attempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Czech myšlenkový experiment
- myšlenkový experimentattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Danish tankeeksperiment
- tankeeksperimentattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Estonian mõtteline eksperiment
- mõtteline eksperimentattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Finnish ajatuskoe
- ajatuskoeattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
French exercice mental, expérience imaginaire
- exercice mentalattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
- expérience imaginaireattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
- expérience de penséeattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
German Gedankenexperiment
- Gedankenexperimentattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Hungarian gondolatkísérlet
- gondolatkísérletattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Italian esperimento mentale
- esperimento mentaleattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Japanese 思考実験
- 思考実験 (shikō jikken)attempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Norwegian Bokmål tankeeksperiment
- tankeeksperimentattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Polish eksperyment myślowy
- eksperyment myślowyattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Romanian experiment mintal, experiment de gândire
- experiment mintalattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
- experiment de gândireattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
- experiment intelecticattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Russian мы́сленный экспериме́нт
- мы́сленный экспериме́нт (mýslennyj eksperimént)attempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Spanish experimento mental, experimento pensado
- experimento mentalattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
- experimento pensadoattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Swedish tankeexperiment
- tankeexperimentattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Turkish düşünce deneyi
- düşünce deneyiattempt to solve a problem using human imagination
Cite this entry
APA
thought experiment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thought%20experiment
MLA
“thought experiment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thought%20experiment. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thought experiment,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thought%20experiment.
Source: thought experiment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.