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

Find insight on Bitcoin ETFs, U.S. stocks linked to cryptocurrencies, Experian and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Published in Nature, the findings offer new insight into the structure of atomic nuclei and could have important implications for astrophysics, nuclear energy, national security, and nuclear forensics.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

"These reflections offer a rare insight into how Gandhi lived the principles he advocated publicly, making this an especially valuable record of his thought and practice," Vazirani said in a statement.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

His insight was the passive advantage, not something magical about one particular index.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

I tried my insight into reading Shakespeare on Mrs. Baker.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Blumenfield said there is “a plethora of information including ecological and biological reports, insights from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and years of evidence from neighbors” that the golf course is habitat for mountain lions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Do you have any insights on what at least you would like to see happen?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

He will lead the development and training of agents, AI models and algorithms that provide insights and advice to customers through the Oura App experience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Drivers don’t shop for cars every year, noted Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Soon she was startling everyone with her insights.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

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