insight

American  

[in-sahyt] / ˈɪnˌsaɪt /

noun

insights plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• insightful
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• insights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of insight

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

Explanation

When you have an insight, you have a feeling or emotion or thought that helps you to know something essential about a person or thing. Insight isn't based on hard facts or evidence. And it doesn't have anything to do with using your senses such as sight or smell. When you gain insight, you are using your intuition, or sixth sense. Insight is formed from the prefix in- plus the English word sight, so this word literally means seeing inward.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insight insights

One provision would’ve required private schools accepting public money to give a common standardized test and report results to the county superintendent, allowing more insight into the schools’ educational quality.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

He hasn’t given any insight into his own thinking about the economy or where interest rates should go.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

Find insight on Anglo American, Sumitomo Bakelite, gold and more in the latest Market Talks covering Basic Materials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The social work report on him said he showed little to no remorse or insight, the sheriff said.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Galileo remained close to the girls both geographically and emotionally, and often visited the convent; surviving letters between Galileo and Maria Celeste give a close insight into his later life.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Dillon said the story offered fresh insights that challenge the view of Turing as an isolated, lonely genius.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

However, he said the new findings provide several additional insights.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

It is worth remembering that the book’s insights derive from self-reported data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Peacock was the last major premium subscription video-on-demand service launched by a legacy studio to reach profitability, said Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at Greenlight Analytics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

There were enough insights here to transform utterly our understanding of the Earth.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• acumen
• intuition
• judgment
• observation
• understanding
• vision
• wisdom