Introspective

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌɪntɹəˈspɛktɪv/

Definitions

1. Characterized by examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and mental processes in a reflective manner
2. deeply examining one's own inner thoughts and emotions to understand oneself better
3. tending to look inward at personal consciousness and psychological states rather than focusing outward

Etymology: "Introspective" is built from two Latin parts that describe the action almost literally: "intro", meaning "inward" or "within", and "specere", meaning "to look at". Put together, the sense is a looking inward, a turning of the eye toward one's own mind rather than the world outside. The "spect" in the middle is the same root that appears in "spectacle", "inspect", "suspect" and "perspective", all words that rest on the idea of looking. What distinguishes "introspective" is the direction: the prefix pushes the gaze back into the self, so that the object of study becomes one's own thoughts, feelings and states of consciousness.

Synonyms: reflective, self-examining, self-reflective

Antonyms: extrospective