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.

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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

• insightful adjective

Etymology

Origin of insight

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

Example Sentences

By combining insights developed over many years, the team created new algorithms capable of solving these equations directly, without approximations.

From Science Daily

The book bristles with insight and originality, interspersing Vara’s more journalistic expositions with excurses and fragments curated from the author’s expansive digital life.

From Los Angeles Times

The piece also gave me rare insight through conversations with his brother Ricardo and his longtime trainer Eddy Reynoso, who shared intimate memories and moments that shaped him inside and outside the ring.

From Los Angeles Times

The new insight may help scientists design safer therapies that act more precisely.

From Science Daily

Find insight on palm oil prices and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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