introspection
[in-truh-spek-shuh n]
- 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.
Show More
Origin of introspection
Synonyms
See more synonyms for introspection on Thesaurus.com1. self-examination, soul-searching.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for introspection
Contemporary Examples
Still, some introspection on the part of Hillel International might be worthwhile.
Swarthmore Hillel Breaks From Guidelines Over Ban on ‘Anti-Zionist’ SpeakersElisheva Goldberg
December 10, 2013
Introspection might be your bag, or you might prefer to be a spectator.
The most startling thing about Babbitt today is not its satire but the haunting, if brief, moments of introspection.
A salty pragmatism runs throughout, and only a modicum of introspection is encouraged.
Introspection is majorly in order, as you address certain excesses and make strides to temper them.
Historical Examples
Let us proceed at once to test our conclusion by introspection.
The Mind and Its EducationGeorge Herbert Betts
We begin with introspection and the eternities, and end in blood and iron.
Critical Miscellanies, Vol. IJohn Morley
Perhaps it was his innate feeling, his deep sense of introspection.
The Slave of SilenceFred M. White
The great Thunderer had, as it were, gone into a condition of introspection.
In the Track of the TroopsR.M. Ballantyne
The criticism of introspection has been in the main the work of American psychologists.
The Analysis of MindBertrand Russell
introspection
- the examination of one's own thoughts, impressions, and feelings, esp for long periods
Show More
Word Origin
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
introspection
(ĭn′trə-spĕk′shən)- Contemplation of one's own thoughts, feelings, and sensations; self-examination.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.