phrasal verb / idiomatic (intransitive) · academic
look inward
UK/lʊk ˈɪnwəd/US/lʊk ˈɪnwɚd/LOOK IN·ward
to examine one's own feelings, motives, or internal issues rather than blaming external factors
Examples
“Societies sometimes need to look inward to understand their own inequalities.”
“Before criticising others, it's worth looking inward at your own behaviour.”
“Universities must look inward and improve student support systems.”
Band 8 sentence
“Rather than deflecting blame, effective leaders look inward to identify systemic weaknesses and then act.”
Collocations
- look inward at policies
- look inward for answers
Word family
Common mistakes
translate as "nhìn vào bên trong" literally→use "look inward" or "reflect on" depending on context
Say it for a higher band
5think about oneself→6reflect→7+look inward
Synonyms
introspect
self-examine
Easily confused
look inward
“Effective reform requires institutions to look inward before changing external policies.”
Related words
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