intuition

/ˌɪntjuˈɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪntuˈɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-tü-ˈi-shən -tyü-/ (ame, mw)

intuition — noun

  • intuitionsingular
  • intuitionsplural

1. a person's natural power to know or grasp something at once through emotion and

1.名詞B2
釋義

a person's natural power to know or grasp something at once through emotion and instinct, without the need for logical reasoning

例句

Yael trusted her intuition when choosing which job offer to accept.

trust one's intuition — collocation with 'trust'

Some people rely more on intuition, while others prefer to analyse every detail.

rely on intuition — contrast pattern with analytical approach

同義詞
  • instinct

    more biological and automatic; suggests an inborn, unlearned response rather than an acquired sense

  • gut feeling

    informal; refers to a specific immediate reaction rather than the general ability

  • sixth sense

    more mystical or supernatural in tone; implies perception beyond the five senses

反義詞
  • reason

    conscious logical thought, the opposite process to intuition

  • logic

    systematic reasoning based on facts, contrasted with intuitive understanding

文法句型

intuition + verb (tells, suggests)

possessive + intuition

by intuition

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense; describes a general human capacity rather than a specific feeling. Frequently takes a possessive determiner (her intuition, my intuition) or appears in phrases like by intuition or on intuition.

常見錯誤

❌I have an intuition that tells me when someone is lying' (when meaning the general ability).
✅I rely on my intuition to tell when someone is lying.
💡When referring to the general capacity, use 'intuition' without an article.

2. a specific belief or impression that arises suddenly, without any obvious reason

2.名詞B2
釋義

a specific belief or impression that arises suddenly, without any obvious reasoning process to explain it

例句

Tariq had a sudden intuition that the missing keys were in the car.

have a sudden intuition that [clause] — common pattern

A strange intuition came over Hugo as he entered the empty house.

intuition + come over [person] — feeling as subject

同義詞
  • hunch

    informal; a guess or feeling based on intuition rather than evidence

  • feeling

    broader term; can be based on any source, not necessarily intuitive

  • suspicion

    suggests mistrust or doubt; more negative in tone

  • inkling

    a vague or slight suspicion; weaker intensity than intuition

文法句型

have an intuition that + clause

possessive + intuition + that-clause

用法筆記

Countable in this sense; use an intuition or the intuition when referring to a specific instance. The that-clause pattern (an intuition that...) is very common and distinguishes this sense from the uncountable ability sense. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes the general capacity, while this sense describes a single occurrence of that capacity producing a particular feeling.

常見錯誤

❌I had intuition that he was lying.
✅I had an intuition that he was lying.
💡When referring to a specific feeling, you need the article 'an' before 'intuition'.
❌My intuition told me she was upset' (when you mean a specific feeling about one event).
✅I had an intuition that she was upset.
💡Use 'had an intuition' + that-clause to mark a specific instance rather than the general ability.