noun

• The solving of problems by an indirect and creative approach, typically through viewing the problem in a new and unusual light.

  Contrasted with vertical thinking

  ‘It allows creative, lateral thinking, basically silly, saying the first thing that comes into your head, no great depth.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Even better, the service was developed using just creative and lateral thinking without any extra funding.’
  • ‘They also underline the creative and lateral thinking which helps to make us market leaders.’
  • ‘Moreover, motion graphics provides one of the most flexible and accessible environments in which to create media that is open and conducive to lateral thinking and free creative thought.’
  • ‘There's a genuine climate of fear in workplaces that is not at all conducive to creative thinking and lateral thinking you need to be a productive worker in the information age.’
  • ‘Alternatively, try some lateral thinking to solve your problem.’
  • ‘We approach things in a different way, we use more lateral thinking, and have more common-sense, practical solutions.’
  • ‘Direct approaches to companies and some lateral thinking can often bag cash for you comedy project.’
  • ‘With creativity and lateral thinking we could offer new products based on need to address new segments of the marketplace that are untapped.’
  • ‘It's just that I feel this piece is so provocatively unusual, it takes a lot of lateral thinking to fully appreciate the intricately evil themes.’
  • ‘There are ways of dealing with these things but it requires lateral thinking and money from the industry.’
  • ‘Sponsors can expect to gain unfettered access to all the intellectual property in the building, where about 100 employees work on various projects involving lateral thinking.’
  • ‘As far as publishers are concerned, modern strategies for book selection are so painfully and obviously fallible that it is tempting to suggest that some lateral thinking ought to be applied.’
  • ‘So, this morning, when I found him, forlorn, trying to get the project further forward, I determined that a leap in the direction of lateral thinking was called for.’
  • ‘The idea is that five people sit round a table discussing logic problems, amusing anagrams, and the sort of lateral thinking puzzles that were popular in playgrounds when I was six.’
  • ‘If this operation only generated double the full-time branch's business then with a bit of lateral thinking and community backing someone could make a decent living from it.’
  • ‘The company received over 250 emails from older people, who enjoy playing more lateral thinking games rather than shoot-them-up types.’
  • ‘But, just because I enjoy networking and lateral thinking doesn't mean that my skills are that much more valuable than someone else's.’
  • ‘With a bit of ingenuity and lateral thinking, you can save a lot of money while having great fun at the same time.’
  • ‘The results require some generous lateral thinking.’