Intuition
/ˌɪntjuˈɪʃən/
Definitions
The power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.
/ˌɪntjuˈɪʃən/
The ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.
Her intuition told her that the deal was too good to be true.
💡 Simply: It's like having a 'gut feeling' or a 'sixth sense'. It's knowing something without being able to say exactly *how* you know.
👶 For kids: It's like knowing something is true without having to think about it. Like when you just know your friend is sad, even if they don't say it.
More Examples
Relying on my intuition, I chose to invest in this company.
Artists often trust their intuition when creating their work.
How It's Used
"Psychologists study intuition to understand how people make quick decisions."
"Experienced entrepreneurs often rely on their intuition when making investment choices."
"I had an intuition that something wasn't right, and it turned out I was correct."
Idioms & expressions
follow your intuition
To trust and act on your instinctive feelings or understanding.
"When deciding on a career path, it's important to follow your intuition."
have an intuition about something
To have a feeling or understanding about something that's not based on facts.
"She had an intuition about the stock market crash before it happened."
From Late Latin *intuītiō* ('a looking at, consideration'), from *intuērī* ('to look at, consider'), from *in-* ('in, on') + *tuērī* ('to gaze, look at').
The word's use evolved from philosophical discussions of knowledge and perception, gaining prominence in psychological and everyday contexts in the 20th century.
Memory tip
Imagine a gut feeling. It's what you 'intuit' – know instantly without thinking it through.