Adjacent Words

Insight definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IN'SIGHT, n. in'site. [in and sight.] Sight or view of the interior of any thing; deep inspection or view; introspection; thorough knowledge or skill.
A garden gives us a great insight into the contrivance and wisdom of Providence.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: clear or deep perception of a situation [syn: penetration, insight]
2: a feeling of understanding [syn: insight, perceptiveness, perceptivity]
3: the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation [syn: insight, brainstorm, brainwave]
4: grasping the inner nature of things intuitively [syn: insight, sixth sense]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 13th century 1. the power or act of seeing into a situation ; penetration 2. the act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively Synonyms: see discernment

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (usu. foll. by into) 1 the capacity of understanding hidden truths etc., esp. of character or situations. 2 an instance of this. Derivatives: insightful adj. insightfully adv. Etymology: ME, = 'discernment', prob. of Scand. & LG orig. (as IN-(2), SIGHT)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Insight In"sight`, n. 1. A sight or view of the interior of anything; a deep inspection or view; introspection; -- frequently used with into. He had an insight into almost all the secrets of state. --Jortin. 2. Power of acute observation and deduction; penetration; discernment; perception. Quickest insight In all things that to greatest actions lead. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(insights) 1. If you gain insight or an insight into a complex situation or problem, you gain an accurate and deep understanding of it. The project would give scientists new insights into what is happening to the earth's atmosphere... N-VAR: usu N into n 2. If someone has insight, they are able to understand complex situations. He was a man with considerable insight.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Deep view, thorough knowledge, discerning look, intelligent grasp. 2. Discernment, penetration, penetrating vision or judgment, spontaneous understanding, quick perception.

Moby Thesaurus

ESP, a priori knowledge, acuity, acumen, acuteness, anschauung, anticipation, apperception, appreciation, appreciativeness, astuteness, awareness, buddhi, clairsentience, clairvoyance, cogency, cognition, cognizance, comprehension, consciousness, critical discernment, direct apprehension, discernment, extrasensory perception, farseeingness, farsightedness, flair, foresight, foresightedness, immediate cognition, incisiveness, inspiration, intuition, intuitionism, intuitive reason, intuitiveness, intuitivism, judgement, judgment, knowledge without thought, longheadedness, longsightedness, lucidity, mindfulness, noesis, note, notice, penetration, perception, perceptiveness, percipience, perspicaciousness, perspicacity, perspicuity, perspicuousness, precognition, premonition, providence, psychometry, realization, recognition, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, satori, second sight, second-sightedness, sensibility, sensitivity, sharpness, sixth sense, subconscious knowledge, subconscious perception, trenchancy, understanding, unmediated perception, vision, wisdom