ideation
ideation Lexical Profile
ideation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The cognitive or creative process of forming, generating, and developing new ideas or concepts.
"During the initial ideation phase of the project, the design team sketched dozens of possible prototypes."
The capacity of the mind to entertain or fixate upon specific thoughts, images, or intentions, especially in clinical psychology.
"The clinician conducted a thorough assessment to screen the patient for depressive symptoms and self-harm ideation."
Word Nuance & Usage
While widely used in business and design for creative brainstorming, in psychology and psychiatry 'ideation' frequently appears in clinical contexts (such as 'suicidal ideation' or 'paranoid ideation') to denote intrusive or persistent mental preoccupation.
• Rhymes for ideation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century as a philosophical term by James Mill from 'idea' (ultimately from Ancient Greek 'idea', meaning 'form' or 'pattern', from 'idein', 'to see') + '-ation'.