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insight

[ in-sahyt ]

/ ˈɪnˌsaɪt /

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See synonyms for: insight / insights on Thesaurus.com

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

2 perception, apprehension, intuition, understanding, grasp.

See synonyms for insight on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of insight

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at in-¹, sight

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH insight

incite, insight

Words nearby insight

insides, inside straight, inside track, inside voice, insidious, insight, insightful, insigne, insignia, insignificance, insignificancy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use insight in a sentence

It’s a small, American football-shaped robot designed to essentially swim inside of a grain silo to offer farmers a better insight into the environmental conditions.
Crover’s robot swims in grain silos to monitor environmental conditions|Brian Heater|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
That tool, Experian Match, those companies say, offers publishers more insights on their audiences without needing to use third-party cookies or requiring users to log in.
‘Re-architecting the entire process’: How Vice is preparing for life after the third-party cookie|Lara O'Reilly|September 17, 2020|Digiday
Sure, Quality Rater Guidelines provide valuable insights into Google’s ranking process.
Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP?|Aleh Barysevich|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Watch
With the right insights, you can turn every engagement into a memorable and valuable experience for both you and your customers.
How to drive digital innovation necessary during the pandemic|Nick Chasinov|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Watch

Jay Belsky, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie Moffitt and Richie Poulton describe provocative insights from their investigations in The Origins of You.
‘The Origins of You’ explores how kids develop into their adult selves|Bruce Bower|September 16, 2020|Science News
He then provides some insight into his psyche - complete with Animal House reference.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their intentions may be good, but their execution and insight are lousy.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Usually being a police officer does not give you great insight into the lives of sex workers,” Wolf says.
To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show|Samantha Allen|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But fun and insight are not always mutually exclusive, certainly not here.
The Best Nonfiction Books of 2014|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These photographers are respected, indeed, but that is not in and of itself enough to provide insight about the city.
A History of Paris in 150 Photographs|Sarah Moroz|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the very outset of his career in Spain he showed a lack of strategic insight and a want of rapidity of movement.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
He can't corrupt you, and you couldn't get a better insight into corruption than through him; so fire away.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
He had a form of ideal beauty, grace, and vigor, inspired by unerring wisdom and insight into futurity.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
It was in her hour of sanity and insight that she had said virginity was the law, the indispensable condition.
The Creators|May Sinclair
A scene would come to him, in some moment of insight; and he would drop everything else, and follow it.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair

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, adjective

Collins 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

1

Within one's range of vision, as in The sailboat was still in sight on the horizon. [c. 1200]

2

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.