as in tendency
a usually innate ability or desire to perform a specific activity
Pouncing on mice is a cat's natural instinct. We needed all of our survival instincts to make it through the weeks lost at sea.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instinct
Mickey’s intuition and instinct lead her to investigate that more than just drugs are killing young women on the streets.
—
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 8 May 2025
The retail industry evolves into this form when AI systems work alongside consumer instincts.
—Cristian Munoz, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Her defensive instincts in her preferred sport carried over.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
Giving into its Jacksonian instincts will no doubt give the Trump base a thrill.
—Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 8 May 2025
The retail industry evolves into this form when AI systems work alongside consumer instincts.
—Cristian Munoz, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Her defensive instincts in her preferred sport carried over.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
Giving into its Jacksonian instincts will no doubt give the Trump base a thrill.
—Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
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Plus, no matter who's involved, humans have a natural tendency to pay close attention to danger and threats, especially if those threats have lurked without detection for so long.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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Recent climate modeling results suggest that changes in annual precipitation in Florida will likely be modest, within about 10% of current average, with a tendency for wetter conditions in the northern part of the state and lesser precipitation in the south.—
Bob Maliva,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Why Teens Are at Greater Risk for Car Accidents Although a teen’s motor skills may be developed enough to obtain a driver’s license, their judgment behind the wheel is often a work in progress.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
8 May 2025
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In this sports competition, athletes on the Red Team and the Blue Team put their physical and mental skills to the test against a series of innovative circuits and challenges.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Analysts also see an inclination among some officials to keep certain communications private, not just from spies but also from government recordkeeping.—
Anna Mulrine Grobe,
Christian Science Monitor,
8 May 2025
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Conveniently dovetailing into some of the notions offered this weekend to Trump at Mar-a-Lago by Oscar-winner Voight and his team, Newsom’s pitch of a national tax incentive for big screen and small screen production is clearly aimed to appeal to Trump’s bigger-is-better inclinations.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
5 May 2025
Noun
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When a gun is left unsecured, that impulse can turn fatal.—
Yolanda Androzzo,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2025
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But that impulse among individual investors has slowed in May, underscoring a sense of fatigue.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The disposition of the case against the boy was not immediately clear.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2025
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The disposition of the cart and the boy before Patel’s reach – including whether the child might have been falling and whether the cart clipped anything – is indiscernible because Patel’s back obscures both from the camera.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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