Dictionary entry
hybrid reasoning model
also hybrid-reasoning model or hybrid reasoning LLM or large hybrid-reasoning model or LHRM
Definition of hybrid reasoning model
-
: a language model that can answer in a fast direct mode or use a more deliberate reasoning mode, with the mode selected by the user, an API setting, or the model itself to balance answer quality against tokens, latency, and cost
- The application used the hybrid reasoning model's fast mode for routine questions and enabled deeper thinking for difficult planning tasks.
- A hybrid reasoning model can skip an expensive reasoning trace when the request only requires a short factual answer.
Two meanings, one word
In everyday English
Something formed by combining two different approaches or modes.
In AI
A language model that can answer in a fast direct mode or use a more deliberate reasoning mode, with the mode selected by the user, an API setting, or the model itself…
Origin & history
Hybrid reasoning model entered mainstream AI product language in 2025. Anthropic described Claude 3.7 Sonnet as the first generally available hybrid reasoning model, Google called Gemini 2.5 Flash its first fully hybrid reasoning model, and research on large hybrid-reasoning models studied how one model could choose between thinking and non-thinking modes.
Editorial references
Sources & further reading
- Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Claude Code↗ Anthropic · 2025-02-24
- Gemini 2.5 Flash is now in preview↗ Google · 2025-04-17
- Think Only When You Need with Large Hybrid-Reasoning Models↗ Microsoft Research and Peking University · 2025-05-20
- Qwen Models Get a Thinking Toggle↗ Qwen Team · 2026-08-27
Test yourself
Which of these is the meaning of hybrid reasoning model?
Cite this entry
"Hybrid reasoning model." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/hybrid-reasoning-model/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.