cognitivist Syllabification: (cog·ni·tiv·ist)Pronunciation: /ˈkägnətivist/Definition of cognitivist noun a person who believes or works in cognitive grammar. adjective of or relating to cognitive grammar. Derivatives cognitivismPronunciation: /-ˌvizəm/ noun Origin: 1950s (in the sense 'believing that moral judgments are true or false statements about moral facts'): from cognitive + -istcognitivist in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of cognitivist in the British & World English dictionary