Some call it psychic, others call it good intuition. Get the scoop on the meaning of intuition, its definition, origin, and more.
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Kevin
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June 1, 2022
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Common Questions
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Have you ever had an experience where you felt as though something was a little off? Maybe you had a “gut feeling” that your bestie was about to call. Or perhaps an “inner voice” warned you not to enter an eerie parking lot late at night. This “sixth sense” of yours has a name — and it’s called intuition.
What Is the Definition of Intuition?
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, intuition is defined as the ability to know certain things without any conscious reasoning. Intuition refers to attaining direct cognition without evident inference or rational thought.
In other words, intuition is an immediate knowing or understanding of something without reasoning — for example, love at first sight.
Think you might be intuitive? Here are a few signs:
- You attach symbolism and meaning to the things around you almost instantly.
- Your inspiration drives you.
- You connect everything to the “big picture.”
- You often think in symbols and metaphors.
- You’re a powerful manifester.
- You’re on a constant quest for meaning.
- You focus on the future rather than the past.
- You don’t naturally respect tradition.
- You are a mindful thinker.
- You see things with precise clarity.
- You need to recharge with your own company.
- You have excellent emotional depth.
- You have sudden realizations.
- You’re an emotional sponge, soaking up what others feel.
What Is the Origin of Intuition?
The word of the day — intuition — was first coined in the mid-15th century as the Late Middle English intuicioun. This is a derivative of the Late Latin intuitiō, the Latin intuērī, and the Latin tuērī.
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Intuition?
Synonyms and antonyms won’t only further your understanding of the term intuition. These powerful tools will also help you build your vocabulary and enhance your spoken (and written) vocabulary.
These synonyms of intuition are provided by the Collins English Thesaurus:
- Immediate knowledge
- Insight
- Clear sightedness
- Extrasensory perception
- Third eye
- Gut feeling
- Immediate cognition
- Sixth sense
- Quick wittedness
- Second sight
- Sneaking suspicion
- Feeling in one’s water
- The force
- Gut reaction
- Clairvoyance
- Sharp wittedness
- Divination
- Innate knowledge
- Immediate apprehension
Antonyms provided by the Collins English Thesaurus include:
- Intellect
- Knowledge
- Trust
- Profligacy
- Disrespect
- Logic
- Disdain
- Thriftlessness
- Extravagance
- Obtuseness
- Brainlessness
- Thick-headedness
- misunderstanding
How Can You Use Intuition in a Sentence?
Intuition might be defined as non-conscious emotional information from your brain to your body — but how is the term used in a sentence? Here are a few examples for you to study:
My intuition told me that you would come today!
When in doubt, you should always take a deep breath and let common sense and intuition guide you to where you need to be.
If you have good intuition, you might have the INFP personality type.
For whatever rhyme or reason, my brother continually misspells the adverb intuitively.
To truly be happy, it has been said that you need to rely on your intuition and creativity.
Jessica’s feminine intuition informed her that Derrick was unhappy.
My mom has really good intuition and always knows when I’m about to call.
My grandma told me that I should always trust my intuition.
Having years of experience, Martha’s intuition told her that something wasn’t right.
Never question a woman’s intuition, or you’re bound to experience trouble.
My intuition told me that it was a bad idea to drive to work today, and what to you know, there was a major car accident right by my office.
Due to her cool vibe and friendly attitude, my intuition is telling me that she’s a pretty great person.
What Are Translations of Intuition?
The word intuition may have originated from the Late Latin verb intueri, but after many decade, our word of the day can be translated into a number of languages — here are some of them:
- French — intuition
- European Portuguese — intuição
- Romanian — intuiție
- Russian — интуиция
- Spanish — intuición
- Swedish — intuition
- Thai — การรู้โดยสัญชาตญาณ
- Turkish — önsezi
- Ukrainian — інтуїція
- Vietnamese — trực giác
- German — Intuition
- Czech — intuice
- American English — intuition
- Danish — intuition
- Japanese — 直感
- Korean — 직관
- Norwegian — intuisjon
- Polish — intuicja
- Dutch — intuïtie
- Arabic — حَدَسٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese — intuição
- Chinese — 直觉
- Croatian — intuicija
- European Spanish — intuición
- Finnish — intuitio
- Greek — διαίσθηση
- Italian — intuizione
Conclusion
In essence, intuition is a snap judgment. It refers to the ability to use quick understanding to interpret a situation without using perception or reasoning.
Often called a “gut feeling” or hunch, intuition is a subconscious process that brings information and solutions on how to proceed in the conscious mind. In other words, it’s knowledge gained through psychic means — not through certain reasoning processes or the five senses.
Want to hone your powers of intuition? Practice listening to your gut through meditation. Test your hunches, consult oracle cards, pay attention to your dreams and escape from your daily routine. Intuition is a skill, so don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get it right off the bat.
As with any new skill, practice makes perfect — breath, dust off your shoulders, and try again!
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