divergent thinking: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Formal, Academic, Technical, Business/Professional
Quick answer
What does “divergent thinking” mean?
A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions or perspectives.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions or perspectives.
A cognitive approach that emphasizes generating diverse, novel, and numerous ideas in an unstructured, free-flowing manner, often in contrast to convergent thinking which seeks a single, correct answer. It is a core component of creativity and problem-solving.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. Spelling of related words (e.g., 'creativise' vs. 'creativize') may differ, but the term itself is identical.
Connotations
Identical connotations in both varieties. It is a specialized term from cognitive psychology adopted into professional/educational discourse.
Frequency
Equally common in academic and professional contexts in both the UK and US. Less common in everyday conversation.
Grammar
How to Use “divergent thinking” in a Sentence
to engage in divergent thinkingto use divergent thinking to [solve/explore]divergent thinking leads to/generates/produces [ideas/solutions]a [session/period/exercise] of divergent thinkingVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “divergent thinking” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The team needs to think divergently about the marketing strategy.
- She was encouraged to diverge in her thinking during the workshop.
American English
- We need to diverge in our thinking on this project.
- The facilitator had us think divergently for the first 20 minutes.
adverb
British English
- The group worked divergently at first, then convergently.
- He thinks quite divergently when tackling design briefs.
American English
- They approached the challenge divergently.
- Think divergently before you start to critique.
adjective
British English
- His thinking was highly divergent during the ideation phase.
- A divergent-thinking approach yielded dozens of concepts.
American English
- She has a very divergent thinking style.
- We applied divergent-thinking techniques to the problem.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in innovation workshops and strategy meetings to encourage novel solutions and product ideas.
Academic
Frequently used in psychology, education, and cognitive science literature to describe a key component of creativity.
Everyday
Rarely used in casual conversation; may be paraphrased as 'brainstorming' or 'coming up with lots of ideas'.
Technical
A precise term in psychometrics (e.g., Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) and design thinking methodologies.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “divergent thinking”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “divergent thinking”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “divergent thinking”
- Using it as an adjective (e.g., 'He is very divergent thinking' – incorrect). It is a noun phrase. Confusing it with 'critical thinking'. Using it to mean simply 'disagreeing' or 'differing' in opinion.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a key component or process of creativity. Creativity involves both generating novel ideas (divergent thinking) and evaluating/refining them (convergent thinking).
Yes, effective problem-solving often requires both. First, you generate many options (divergent), then you narrow them down to the best one (convergent).
No. While associated with artistic creativity, divergent thinking is crucial in science, business, engineering, and everyday problem-solving where innovative solutions are needed.
Practice techniques like brainstorming (without judgement), mind mapping, using random word prompts, and challenging assumptions. The goal is to temporarily suspend critical evaluation.
A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions or perspectives.
Divergent thinking is usually formal, academic, technical, business/professional in register.
Divergent thinking: in British English it is pronounced /daɪˌvɜː.dʒənt ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/, and in American English it is pronounced /daɪˌvɝː.dʒənt ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “thinking outside the box”
- “blue-sky thinking”
- “casting a wide net (for ideas)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a road DIVERGING into many different paths. DIVERGENT THINKING is your mind taking many different paths of thought, instead of one straight road to an answer.
Conceptual Metaphor
THINKING IS EXPLORING A LANDSCAPE / GENERATING IDEAS IS PRODUCING OFFSPRING. Divergent thinking 'branches out', 'spreads', 'fans out', 'generates' many idea 'offspring'.
Practice
Quiz
Which activity is most closely associated with divergent thinking?