intuition

UK: /ˌɪntjuˈɪʃ^ən/

US: /ˌɪntuˈɪʃən, -tju-/

US: (in′to̅o̅ ish′ən, -tyo̅o̅-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

in•tu•i•tion /ˌɪntuˈɪʃən, -tyu-/   n. 

1. direct perception of, or the power of understanding, a fact, the truth, a conclusion, etc., without any reasoning process or analysis:
   [uncountable] Your argument is based on intuition, not logic.
2. a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way:
   [countable] His intuitions were usually right.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

in•tu•i•tion  (in′to̅o̅ ish′ən, -tyo̅o̅-), n. 

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
   • an immediate cognition of an object not inferred or determined by a previous cognition of the same object.
   • any object or truth so discerned.
   • 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.

• Late Latin intuitiōn- (stem of intuitiō) contemplation, equivalent. to Latin intuit(us), past participle of intuērī to gaze at, contemplate + -iōn- -ion. See in-², tuition
• late Middle English 1400–50

in′tu•i′tion•less, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

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

Etymology: 15th Century: from Late Latin intuitiō a contemplation, from Latin intuērī to gaze upon, from tuērī to look at

ˌintuˈitional adjective

ˌintuˈitionally adverb