- the ability to perceive clearly or deeply; penetration
- a penetrating and often sudden understanding, as of a complex situation or problem
- the capacity for understanding one's own or another's mental processes
- the ability to understand one's own problems, sometimes used to distinguish between psychotic and neurotic disorders
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•sight /ˈɪnˌsaɪt/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- an act or instance of perceiving the true nature of a thing, esp. through intuitive understanding: [uncountable]The seminar provided insight into how computer programs could work for students.[countable]gave us valuable insights.
in•sight
(in′sīt′),USA pronunciation n.
- an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, esp. through intuitive understanding:an insight into 18th-century life.
- penetrating mental vision or discernment;
faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth. - Psychology
- an understanding of relationships that sheds light on or helps solve a problem.
- (in psychotherapy) the recognition of sources of emotional difficulty.
- an understanding of the motivational forces behind one's actions, thoughts, or behavior;
self-knowledge.
- 1150–1200; Middle English; see in-1, sight
- 2. perception, apprehension, intuition, understanding, grasp.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
insight /ˈɪnˌsaɪt/ n
'insight' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
acumen
- acute
- astute
- Bruce
- clairvoyant
- divine
- foresight
- Ignatius
- illumination
- immature
- light
- penetration
- perception
- purblind
- Richardson
- Schnitzler
- theosophy
- third eye
- wisdom
- aperçu
- appreciate
- cult
- depth
- discernment
- epiphany
- flash
- hit
- information
- insightful
- intuition
- intuitivism
- knowledgeable
- luciferous
- morphology
- mystic
- outsight
- perceptive
- perspicacity
- perspicuity
- physiognomy
- poetic
- profound
- purview
- see
- seer
- sha‘ir
- sherlock
- sight
- speculative philosophy