introspection

[in-truh-spek-shuhn]

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noun

observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.
the tendency or disposition to do this.
sympathetic introspection.

Origin of introspection

1670–80; < Latin intrōspect(us), past participle of intrōspicere to look within (equivalent to intrō- intro- + spec(ere) to look + -tus past participle suffix) + -ion

Related formsin·tro·spec·tion·al, adjectivein·tro·spec·tion·ist, noun, adjective

Synonyms for introspection

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1. self-examination, soul-searching.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for introspection

contemplation, reflection, soul-searching, scrutiny, meditation, self-examination, rumination, egoism, self-absorption, brooding, introversion, heart-searching, self-observation, self-questioning

Examples from the Web for introspection

Contemporary Examples of introspection

Still, some introspection on the part of Hillel International might be worthwhile.
Swarthmore Hillel Breaks From Guidelines Over Ban on ‘Anti-Zionist’ Speakers
Elisheva Goldberg
December 10, 2013
Introspection might be your bag, or you might prefer to be a spectator.
The 15 Best Things to See at Frieze Art Fair London 2013
Chloë Ashby
October 17, 2013
The most startling thing about Babbitt today is not its satire but the haunting, if brief, moments of introspection.
American Dreams: 'Babbitt' by Sinclair Lewis
Nathaniel Rich
March 19, 2012
A salty pragmatism runs throughout, and only a modicum of introspection is encouraged.
Advice From the Oldest Americans
Casey Schwartz
October 29, 2011
Introspection is majorly in order, as you address certain excesses and make strides to temper them.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week, June 26-July 2, 2011
Starsky + Cox
June 26, 2011

Historical Examples of introspection

Let us proceed at once to test our conclusion by introspection.
The Mind and Its Education
George Herbert Betts
We begin with introspection and the eternities, and end in blood and iron.
Critical Miscellanies, Vol. I
John Morley
Perhaps it was his innate feeling, his deep sense of introspection.
The Slave of Silence
Fred M. White
The great Thunderer had, as it were, gone into a condition of introspection.
In the Track of the Troops
R.M. Ballantyne
The criticism of introspection has been in the main the work of American psychologists.
The Analysis of Mind
Bertrand Russell

British Dictionary definitions for introspection

introspection

noun

the examination of one's own thoughts, impressions, and feelings, esp for long periods

Derived Formsintrospectional or introspective, adjectiveintrospectionist, nounintrospectively, adverbintrospectiveness, noun

Word Origin for introspection

C17: from Latin intrōspicere to look within, from intro- + specere to look

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

Word Origin and History for introspection

1670s, noun of action from past participle stem of Latin introspicere "to look into, look at," from intro- "inward" (see intro-) + specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)).

introspection in Medicine

introspection

[ĭn′trə-spĕk′shən]

Contemplation of one's own thoughts, feelings, and sensations; self-examination.

Related formsin′tro•spect′ v.in′tro•spec′tive (-tĭv) adj.