Dictionary

insight en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [ˈənsɑe̯t] (New-Zealand)
• /ˈənsaɪ̯t/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈɪnsɑe̯t/ (Australia)
• ĭn'sīt
• /ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/ (Canada, General-American)
• (California, Southern) audio
• [ˈɪnsɐɪ̯t] (Canada, General-American) Canadian raising
• /ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English insight, insiht (“insight, mental vision, intelligence, understanding”), equivalent to in- + sight. Perhaps continuing Old English insiht (“narrative, argument, account”), from Proto-Germanic *insahtiz (“account, narrative, argument”). Compare West Frisian ynsjoch (“insight”), Dutch inzicht (“insight, awareness, view, opinion”), German Low German Insicht (“insight”), German Einsicht (“insight, knowledge, perception, understanding”), Danish indsigt (“insight”), Swedish insikt (“insight”), Icelandic innsýn (“insight”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A sight or view of the interior of anything; a deep inspection or view; introspection; frequently used with into.
   • The history of our study of our solar system shows us clearly that accepted and conventional ideas are often wrong, and that fundamental insights can arise from the most unexpected sources. 1980, Carl Sagan, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage:
   • This paper surveys the research methods and approaches used in the multidisciplinary field of applied language studies or language education over the last fourty^([sic]) years. Drawing on insights gained in psycho- and sociolinguistics, educational linguistics and linguistic anthropology with regard to language and culture, it is organized around five major questions that concern language educators. 2014 January 14, Claire Kramsch, “Language and Culture”, in AILA Review, volume 27, number 5, John Benjamins, →DOI, →ISSN, page 30:
2. (countable, uncountable) Power of acute observation and deduction.
   • Corbett has an interesting insight into the reactions of his colleagues from diverse backgrounds: "The ex-British Rail people responded much better than those from the private sector. In terms of helping, the private sector people headed for the hills, while the railway people, like Chris Leah [the operations director] and Dick Fearn [the Midlands Zone director] moved towards the gunfire. The non-railway people on the whole didn't." 2026 March 4, Christian Wolmar, “Railtrack: what really happened”, in RAIL, number 1056, page 52:
3. (countable, uncountable) Knowledge (usually derived from consumer understanding) that a company applies in order to make a product or brand perform better and be more appealing to customers
4. (countable, uncountable) Intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of a thing or things; intuition.
5. (countable, qualifier:artificial intelligence, uncountable) An extended understanding of a subject resulting from identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario.
6. (countable, uncountable) An individual's awareness of the nature and severity of one's mental illness.

Forms

Deriveds

insighted · insightless · insightful · inflicted insight

Relateds

outsight

Synonyms

discernment · penetration · nosognosia · perception

Translations (96)

ca percepció (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · de Einfühlungsvermögen (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · it discernimento (power of acute observation and deduction) · fi havainto (power of acute observation and deduction) · fi oivaltaminen (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · it intuizione (power of acute observation and deduction) · it introspezione (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · txb pilko (power of acute observation and deduction) · it lungimiranza (power of acute observation and deduction) · vi sự sáng suốt (power of acute observation and deduction) · fr aperçu (power of acute observation and deduction) · bg проницателност (power of acute observation and deduction) · la perspicientia (power of acute observation and deduction) · nn innsyn (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · it intuito (power of acute observation and deduction) · it perspicacia (power of acute observation and deduction) · de Eingebung (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · fr discernement (power of acute observation and deduction) · ca discerniment (power of acute observation and deduction) · eo enrigardo (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · el οξυδέρκεια (power of acute observation and deduction) · mi mōhiotanga (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · cmn 見地 /见地 (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · ka გააზრება (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · el ενόραση (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · no innsikt (power of acute observation and deduction) · ru интроспе́кция (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · bg проникновение (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · ca agudesa (power of acute observation and deduction) · de Kundenverständnis (knowledge that a company applies to make a product or brand perform better) · pt introspecção (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · el οξύνοια (power of acute observation and deduction) · pt intuição (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · de Krankheitsverständnis ((med.) awareness of one's own illness) · oc intuicion (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · de Einsicht ((med.) awareness of one's own illness) · id wawasan (power of acute observation and deduction) · mi mōhiotanga (power of acute observation and deduction) · bg интуиция (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · de Intuition (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · nl inzicht (power of acute observation and deduction) · pl wnikliwość (power of acute observation and deduction) · he תובנה (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · nb innsyn (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · no innsyn (power of acute observation and deduction) · it conoscenza (knowledge that a company applies to make a product or brand perform better) · el διορατικότητα (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · id wawasan (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · de Verstehen (extended understanding of a subject in artificial intelligence) · de Gespür (knowledge that a company applies to make a product or brand perform better) · ru инса́йт (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · it idea (knowledge that a company applies to make a product or brand perform better) · fi sairaudentunto ((med.) awareness of one's own illness) · fr introspection (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · ru инса́йт (knowledge that a company applies to make a product or brand perform better) · it approfondimento (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · txb pilko (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · de scharfsinniges Erfassen (power of acute observation and deduction) · pt dedução (power of acute observation and deduction) · ga léargas (power of acute observation and deduction) · fr intuition (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · sv insikt (power of acute observation and deduction) · oc introspeccion (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · it introspezione (power of acute observation and deduction) · el διαίσθηση (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · eo enrigardo (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · ru инса́йт (power of acute observation and deduction) · is innsýn (power of acute observation and deduction) · ru проница́тельность (power of acute observation and deduction) · ca perspicàcia (power of acute observation and deduction) · de Krankheitseinsicht ((med.) awareness of one's own illness) · sk vhľad (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · ca penetració (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · mi māramatanga (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · nn innblikk (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · oc sentida (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · eo intuicio (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · ca intuïció (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · nb innblikk (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · ms wawasan (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · fr perspicacité (power of acute observation and deduction) · de Gespür (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · ru интуи́ция (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · ar نظرة ثاقبة (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · de Einblick (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · it intuizione (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · ca introspecció (sight of the interior; deep view; introspections) · af insig (power of acute observation and deduction) · ka ინტუიცია (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · mk увид (power of acute observation and deduction) · de Ahnung (intuitive apprehension of the inner nature of things) · ms wawasan (power of acute observation and deduction) · ka წვდომა (power of acute observation and deduction) · de Einsicht (power of acute observation and deduction) · fr pénétration (power of acute observation and deduction) · it acume (power of acute observation and deduction)