lateral thinking

noun

a heuristic for solving problems; you try to look at the problem from many angles instead of tackling it head-on

• Hypernyms: ↑heuristic, ↑heuristic rule, ↑heuristic program

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noun

: thinking that is not deductive

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lateral thinking noun

Thinking which seeks new ways of looking at a problem and does not merely proceed by logical steps from the starting-point of what is known or believed

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Main Entry: ↑lateral

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lateral thinking UK US noun [uncountable]

a way of solving a problem in which you use your imagination to try to think about it in a different or unusual way

Thesaurus: ways of solving problems_synonym

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lateral thinking,

a method of solving problems by approaching them indirectly from various angles instead of dwelling on any one aspect at length: »

As the name implies, lateral thinking is thinking sideways: not developing a pattern but restructuring a pattern (Edward de Bono).

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noun [noncount]

chiefly Brit : a method for solving problems by making unusual or unexpected connections between ideas

lateral thinker noun, pl ⋯ -ers [count]

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ˌlateral ˈthinking [lateral thinking] noun uncountable (especially BrE)

a way of solving problems by using your imagination to find new ways of looking at the problem