insight
[ in-sahyt ]
/ ˈɪnˌsaɪt /
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noun
an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive understanding: an insight into 18th-century life.
penetrating mental vision or discernment; faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth.
Psychology.
- an understanding of relationships that sheds light on or helps solve a problem.
- (in psychotherapy) the recognition of sources of emotional difficulty.
- an understanding of the motivational forces behind one's actions, thoughts, or behavior; self-knowledge.
OTHER WORDS FOR insight
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WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH insight
incite, insightDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use insight in a sentence
The first night on Home-in-sight Island was not so undisturbed as might have been expected.
The Giant of the North|R.M. BallantyneIt had not stopped when Bob was off and up the avenue like a hound on the end-in-sight trail.
Friday, the Thirteenth|Thomas W. LawsonLand-in-sight signal will be likewise one current of 10 minutes duration, Z to E.
The Atlantic Telegraph|William Howard Russell
British Dictionary definitions for insight
insight
/ (ˈɪnˌsaɪt) /
noun
the ability to perceive clearly or deeply; penetration
a penetrating and often sudden understanding, as of a complex situation or problem
psychol
- the capacity for understanding one's own or another's mental processes
- the immediate understanding of the significance of an event or action
psychiatry the ability to understand one's own problems, sometimes used to distinguish between psychotic and neurotic disorders
Derived forms of insight
insightful, adjectiveCollins 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 Idioms and Phrases with insight
in sight
Within one's range of vision, as in The sailboat was still in sight on the horizon. [c. 1200]
Also, in one's sight or sights. Before one's eyes; also, within one's awareness. For example, In the world's sight he was at fault, or Harold had that promotion firmly in his sights. [c. 1200]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.