INSIGHT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does insight mean? 

• INSIGHT (noun)
  The noun INSIGHT has 4 senses:

1. clear or deep perception of a situation

2. a feeling of understanding

3. the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation

4. grasping the inner nature of things intuitively

  Familiarity information: INSIGHT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INSIGHT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Clear or deep perception of a situation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

insight; penetration

Hypernyms ("insight" is a kind of...):

perception (knowledge gained by perceiving)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A feeling of understanding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

insight; perceptiveness; perceptivity

Hypernyms ("insight" is a kind of...):

sensibility (refined sensitivity to pleasurable or painful impressions)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

brainstorm; brainwave; insight

Hypernyms ("insight" is a kind of...):

apprehension; discernment; savvy; understanding (the cognitive condition of someone who understands)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "insight"):

light (mental understanding as an enlightening experience)

revelation (an enlightening or astonishing disclosure)

breakthrough; discovery; find (a productive insight)

flash (a sudden brilliant understanding)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Grasping the inner nature of things intuitively

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

insight; sixth sense

Hypernyms ("insight" is a kind of...):

intuition (instinctive knowing (without the use of rational processes))

 Context examples 

An enhanced false-color view allows scientists to gain insight into materials and how they relate to surface morphology.

(New Ceres Images Show Bright Craters, NASA)

She seemed bent on giving no real insight into Mr. Dixon's character, or her own value for his company, or opinion of the suitableness of the match.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

A web-based knowledge environment that includes freely available data derived from small molecules and small-molecule screens and resources for studying the data so that biological and medical insights can be gained.

(ChemBank, NCI Thesaurus)

This new insight into how nerve cells might die from self-digestion has important implications for therapeutic approaches targeting autophagy.

(New Mechanisms Found of Cell Death in Neurodegenerative Disorders, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The insights gained from experiments in that facility now make it possible to detect the pose of a group of people using a single camera and a laptop computer.

(Computer that Reads Body Language, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

They are intended to provide supplemental, unstructured information to the user or additional insight about the concept.

(DesignNote, NCI Thesaurus)

These clouds provide the team with insight into how Kepler-51 b and 51 d stack up against other low-mass, gas-rich planets outside of our solar system.

('Cotton Candy' Planet Mysteries Unravel in New Hubble Observations, NASA)

The strength of the response can provide insight into central and peripheral nerve performance.

(Deep Tendon Reflex, NCI Thesaurus)

The insights from this research may help guide scientists in the rational design of improved, more selective drugs.

(Scientists Discover Antibiotic Mechanism, NIH)

The crystal structure of the Arp2/3 complex has revealed further insights into the nature of how the complex works.

(Actin Branching Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)