inkling

An inkling is a slight idea or suspicion about something. It suggests a dawning realization or a vague premonition. When someone has an inkling, they possess a faint or partial understanding of a situation or a future event, often without concrete evidence. This feeling can be a subtle intuition that guides their thoughts or actions. The term implies a preliminary notion rather than a fully formed belief. An inkling might arise from observing subtle clues, connecting disparate pieces of information, or simply from an unexplained gut feeling. It's a soft knowing, a hint of something more significant to come.