Dictionary.com

intuition

[ in-too-ish-uhn, -tyoo- ]
/ ˌɪn tuˈɪʃ ən, -tyu- /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: intuition / intuitions on Thesaurus.com

noun
direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension.
a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way.
a keen and quick insight.
the quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight.
Philosophy.
  1. an immediate cognition of an object not inferred or determined by a previous cognition of the same object.
  2. any object or truth so discerned.
  3. pure, untaught, noninferential knowledge.
Linguistics. the ability of the native speaker to make linguistic judgments, as of the grammaticality, ambiguity, equivalence, or nonequivalence of sentences, deriving from the speaker's native-language competence.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of intuition

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin intuitiōn-, stem of intuitiō “contemplation,” equivalent to Latin intuit(us), past participle of intuērī “to gaze at, contemplate” + -iō -ion; see in-2, tuition

OTHER WORDS FROM intuition

in·tu·i·tion·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use intuition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for intuition

intuition
/ (ˌɪntjʊˈɪʃən) /

noun
knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor by perception
instinctive knowledge or belief
a hunch or unjustified belief
philosophy immediate knowledge of a proposition or object such as Kant's account of our knowledge of sensible objects
the supposed faculty or process by which we obtain any of these

Derived forms of intuition

intuitional, adjectiveintuitionally, adverb

Word Origin for intuition

C15: from Late Latin intuitiō a contemplation, from Latin intuērī to gaze upon, from tuērī to look at
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
FEEDBACK