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insight

American  
[in-sahyt] / ˈɪnˌsaɪt /

noun

  1. an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive understanding.

    an insight into 18th-century life.

  2. penetrating mental vision or discernment; faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth.

    Synonyms:
    grasp, understanding, intuition, apprehension, perception

  3. Psychology.

    1. an understanding of relationships that sheds light on or helps solve a problem.

    2. (in psychotherapy) the recognition of sources of emotional difficulty.

    3. an understanding of the motivational forces behind one's actions, thoughts, or behavior; self-knowledge.

insight British  
/ ˈɪnˌsaɪt /

noun

  1. the ability to perceive clearly or deeply; penetration

  2. a penetrating and often sudden understanding, as of a complex situation or problem

  3. psychol

    1. the capacity for understanding one's own or another's mental processes

    2. the immediate understanding of the significance of an event or action

  4. psychiatry the ability to understand one's own problems, sometimes used to distinguish between psychotic and neurotic disorders

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • insightful adjective

Etymology

Origin of insight

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; in- 1 ( def. ) + sight ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Find insight on Chinese and European airlines and more in the latest Market Talks covering the auto and transport sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

They also suggest that this single particle could provide insight into the fundamental structure of the universe.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

Find insight on metal producers, palm oil futures and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Find insight on Barrick Mining, Nutrien and more in the latest Market Talks covering Basic Materials.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Each game that he played, or analyzed, whether his or others’, established a processional of insight.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.