intuition

American  

[in-too-ish-uhn, -tyoo-] / ˌɪn tuˈɪʃ ən, -tju- /

noun

• intuitions
  plural

1. 

   direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension.

2. a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way.

3. a keen and quick insight.

4. the quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight.

5. Philosophy.

   1. an immediate cognition of an object not inferred or determined by a previous cognition of the same object.

   2. any object or truth so discerned.

   3. pure, untaught, noninferential knowledge.

6. Linguistics. the ability of the native speaker to make linguistic judgments, as of the grammaticality, ambiguity, equivalence, or nonequivalence of sentences, deriving from the speaker's native-language competence.

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intuition British  

/ ˌɪntjʊˈɪʃən /

noun

1. knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor by perception

2. instinctive knowledge or belief

3. a hunch or unjustified belief

4. philosophy immediate knowledge of a proposition or object such as Kant's account of our knowledge of sensible objects

5. the supposed faculty or process by which we obtain any of these

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intuitional
  adjective
• intuitionless
  adjective
• intuitionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intuitions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of intuition

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin intuitiōn-, stem of intuitiō “contemplation,” equivalent to Latin intuit(us), past participle of intuērī “to gaze at, contemplate” + -iō -ion; see in- ², tuition

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Explanation

If you know the definition of this noun by quick insight without relying on reason, you know what intuition means! Intuition is a noun whose definition means that someone uses quick understanding to interpret but without using reasoning or perception, a snap judgment. The definition of the word comes from the Latin roots in- meaning "at" or "on" and tueri meaning "look at, watch over." A relative of intuition is tuition, and even though we don't use this particular meaning anymore, it used to refer to having guardianship or custody. If we use our intuition it means that we don't always make the correct interpretation, and in fact, the Australian writer Christina Stead wrote, "Intuition is not infallible; it only seems to be the truth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intuition intuitions

Senior nurses, in particular, bring vast stores of clinical intuition and operational expertise that help ensure unit safety, mentor less-experienced staff and keep complex hospital floors running efficiently.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

"My intuition is that it probably is as bad. If you look at the sheer number of hotspots, it's still trending up and up," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

"I encourage everyone to not ignore intuition or an observation, even if it isn't part of your field of expertise," he told another outlet.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

"This DNA match was the confirmation that all our intuition was right."

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

My ecstatic intuition about myself was now deeply suppressed.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

While these intuitions are attempting to insert women into the male-dominated picture of the Viking age, descriptions of women’s lives and their social or cultural influence tend to be limited.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

"I think I understand more about why that wasn't done -- obviously gratefully -- but that is an area where my intuitions were just off."

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

She was arguably the least influenced of the three, yet the moral intuitions of writers seem to be that she most betrayed the craft.

From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026

We trust our intuitions when we should rely on rational calculation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

Occasionally, our intuitions and perceptions might allow us to grasp these natural laws.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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Related Words

• hunch
• instinct

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