Word
introspection
Phoneticsin·tro·spec·tion, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌɪntɹəˈspɛkʃən/
UK/ˌɪntɹəspˈɛkʃən/
Definitions
01self-examination
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Academic
n. the process of thinking deeply about your own thoughts, feelings, and reasons for behaving in a certain way.
n. the act of self-examination or the inspection of one's own thoughts and feelings. Uncountable in its general sense, though specific instances may be countable.
“After the argument, he spent the evening in quiet introspection, wondering why he had become so angry.”
“The novel is less about external action and more about the protagonist's internal journey of painful introspection and self-discovery.”
Usage
Often follows verbs like 'engage in' or 'be capable of'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02computing
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Computing Technical
n. the ability of a computer program to examine its own structure or properties while it is running.
n. the ability of a program to examine the type or properties of an object at runtime. Often used as a clipping of 'type introspection'.
“The developer used introspection to check which methods were available in the new library.”
“Object introspection allows the system to determine an object's class and available attributes dynamically during execution.”
Usage
Commonly used in the context of high-level programming languages like Python or Java.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Its muffled, grumbling guitar and vocal – shifting from deep and effect-smothered into anguished and emotive – captured a mood of troubled introspection.” “But So Much for Goodbyes is an album more concerned with introspection, and understandably so.” Etymology
From Latin intrōspectiō, noun of action (with -iō) from past-participle (intrōspectus) stem of intrōspiciō (“to look into, look at, examine, observe attentively”), from intro- (“inward”) + speciō, spiciō (“to look at”). By surface analysis, introspect + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/introspection