insightful
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insightful
Explanation
What English teachers want from students writing papers is insightful analysis –– thinking that sees beyond the obvious and expresses an original thought. With this word, remember in- and -sight-. When you have the ability to look (sight) inside (in) something––a painting, a discussion, a situation––and find what others aren't seeing, you are being insightful. An insightful person is someone capable of deep, insightful thinking.
Vocabulary lists containing insightful
Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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Words to Describe a Novel or a Story
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Cover Letter Language
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These views may be insightful, but they rarely tell us what the wider scientific community thinks.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
But he knows what it felt like and in an insightful chat with his former United team-mate on Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief,, external Giggs offered this assessment:
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Much like the “Bad Moms” movies, “Spa Weekend” isn’t insightful, isn’t interesting and isn’t funny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Vice President JD Vance’s insightful 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” describes all manner of white social dysfunction in Appalachia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Sometimes Mom can be insightful without even realizing it.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
