insightful
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Other valuation ratios aren’t particularly insightful since many IPOs come to market before booking any earnings.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
Tennis great Andre Agassi, one of his sport’s more insightful players and an eight-time Grand Slam champion, was asked during a 2005 press conference about the fearless style of up-and-comer Rafael Nadal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
You would suddenly be a young lad who wanted to be a professional footballer, what can I see behind the scenes - anything insightful to make me think what they do behind the scenes?
From BBC • May 24, 2026
With prose so heartfelt and insightful, I was in tears by the preface.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
In an insightful piece written for Harper’s magazine in June 1960, Lomax predicted that “this revolt, swelling under ground for the past two decades, means the end of the traditional Negro leadership class.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
