insightful
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- insightfully adverb
- insightfulness noun
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.
It's like being in a travelling circus and the caddies are a great and insightful group.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
But Coogan and Hays insist they are not journalists, even if they line up interviews with key figures in the industry who offer insightful access to the Silicon Valley world.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Lagarde was most insightful discussing the impact of technology, and especially the advent of AI.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
In this lively and insightful memoir, he has mostly done justice to both.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Dell was now in his mid-thirties, and while he wasn't insightful or even thoughtful, he knew that this counseling job in Bakersfield would make or break him.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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.
