intuition

[ in-too-ish-uhn, -tyoo- ]

noun

1. direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension.
2. a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way.
3. a keen and quick insight.
4. the quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight.
5. 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.
6. 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.

intuition

/ ˌɪntjʊˈɪʃən /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ˌintuˈitional, adjective
• ˌintuˈitionally, adverb

Other Words From

• intu·ition·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of intuition¹

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; in- ², tuition

Word History and Origins

Origin of intuition¹

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

Example Sentences

“He brought a lot of knowledge and intuition to our coaches and players,” Orgeron told the Times’ Gary Klein.

From Los Angeles Times

It's done very much on feeling and the kind of technique and logic of cooking applied to feeling and intuition.

From Salon

One of the key moral intuitions of right-wingers is “purity.”

From Salon

“I have a good gut intuition. I feel like I’ve lived in Florida long enough, and I’ve been through hurricanes,” she said.

From BBC

Many economists and commentators judge it by intuition — if you raise the price of something, such as the price of fast food labor, conventional economics say you’ll get less of it.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hunch
• instinct