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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Recent Examples of instinct
Kurt's key takeaways Gilberto's instinct to question that message was the right move.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
His physicality will fit in well in defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s system, and teammates have praised his instincts and ability to learn on the fly.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Instead, try to channel your empath child's compassionate and curious instincts.
—Laura Wheatman Hill, Parents, 11 Apr. 2026
The idea initially clashed with Thompson’s natural instincts, and specifically his competitive streak.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
His physicality will fit in well in defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s system, and teammates have praised his instincts and ability to learn on the fly.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Instead, try to channel your empath child's compassionate and curious instincts.
—Laura Wheatman Hill, Parents, 11 Apr. 2026
The idea initially clashed with Thompson’s natural instincts, and specifically his competitive streak.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
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With long days and warm nights, the spring and summer months have a tendency to bring people together.—
Casey DelBasso,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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During one rant against cancel culture and its pernicious tendency to smear the innocent, Tillman brings up Joseph McCarthy as a prime example of a person whose reputation was unfairly destroyed.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Experience, often in multiple systems, pays off at skill positions more than ever.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
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As Inside Higher Ed notes, graduates with adaptable skills often continue to grow while others plateau.—
Rasheem Rooke,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Even in the present tense, the characters express no political opinions, taste in movies and music, hobbies—or backstories that shape such inclinations.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
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Mamdani has thus far shown no inclination to act differently.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Have viewers themselves developed a more expansive understanding of who is entitled to be hurt, and can the network resist the impulse to edit around this friction?—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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Be careful of sudden impulses to travel or do something unusual.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Denver District Court Judge Andrew Luxen sentenced Roybal-Smith to 56 years in prison during the disposition hearing, which will run concurrently with his other prison sentence, court records show.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
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The disposition of that case was not immediately clear Wednesday.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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