noun

metacognition

met-uh-kog-NISH-uhn

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Metacognition (noun) means Awareness and understanding of your own thinking, including knowing how you learn, judging how well you understand something, and choosing strategies to fix the gaps. Example: “Teaching metacognition helps pupils notice when they have not really understood a text.”

noun

Awareness and understanding of your own thinking, including knowing how you learn, judging how well you understand something, and choosing strategies to fix the gaps.

"Teaching metacognition helps pupils notice when they have not really understood a text."

"Strong metacognition is what separates a student who rereads from one who tests themselves."

technical The monitoring and control of mental processes as studied in psychology, covering metamemory, judgements of learning and confidence in one's own answers.

"The experiment measured metacognition by comparing confidence ratings with actual accuracy."

How to use metacognition

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThinking about how you think and learn.

When to use it

Technical, common in education and psychology rather than everyday speech.

Memory tip

The adjective is metacognitive. The prefix meta- here means "about itself", the same sense as in metadata.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

cognition → introspection → mindfulness →

Common pairings

metacognitive strategies develop metacognition metacognitive awareness

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

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Teaching _____ helps pupils notice when they have not really understood a text.

Etymology

From Greek meta 'beyond, about' plus Latin cognitio 'knowing', from cognoscere 'to get to know'.

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

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self-awareness reflective thinking thinking about thinking

Related words

self-awareness

Rhymes for metacognition

region ablation allusion emulsion ideation novation diffusion elocution extension oxidation perfusion selection

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Frequently asked questions

What is metacognition in simple terms?

It is thinking about your own thinking: noticing what you do and do not understand, and deciding what to do about it. Checking whether you have really learned something before an exam is metacognition in action.

What is the difference between metacognition and cognition?

Cognition is the thinking itself, such as reading, remembering or solving a problem. Metacognition sits one level above and watches that process, judging how well it is going and adjusting the approach.

What are examples of metacognitive strategies?

Planning how to tackle a task, self-testing rather than rereading, asking yourself whether an answer makes sense, and reflecting afterwards on what worked. All involve monitoring your own understanding.

What is the meaning of metacognition?

"metacognition" (noun) means awareness and understanding of your own thinking, including knowing how you learn, judging how well you understand something, and choosing strategies to fix the gaps.

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