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
The time O’Brien spent around sets appears to have honed his showman instincts.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Her optimism, sharp instincts, and enduring dedication to mentoring have had a lasting and meaningful impact.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 July 2025
And there our instinct under the Free Exercise Clause should in most cases be one of deference to the parents.
—Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 8 July 2025
This sleek decanter aerates while serving angles (and leveling up your sommelier instincts).
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Her optimism, sharp instincts, and enduring dedication to mentoring have had a lasting and meaningful impact.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 July 2025
And there our instinct under the Free Exercise Clause should in most cases be one of deference to the parents.
—Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 8 July 2025
This sleek decanter aerates while serving angles (and leveling up your sommelier instincts).
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
-
The bill ultimately continues a generations-long Republican tendency to transfer wealth upward while abandoning working Americans. Davis: The wealth transfer Trump seeks is from government to taxpayers.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
-
Traits shape your willingness to try new things, your perception of effort, and your comfort level in different environments—making exercise a natural outlet for expressing these tendencies, said Matthew Sacco, PhD, a sports medicine psychologist at Cleveland Clinic.—
Brian Mastroianni,
Health,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
The manufacturing industry faces specific challenges with approximately 3.8 million new workers needed between 2024 and 2033, with half of these positions remaining unfilled due to skills gaps.—
Tom Strohl,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
-
Goodwill provides job seekers with free services like skills training, employment placement, career counseling at more than a dozen Career Solutions Centers.—
Katie Nixon,
The Tennessean,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
At a June 5 press conference, one day after the General Assembly closed the regular 2024 session, the governor gave his strongest indication to date of an inclination to seek another four-year term with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
3 July 2025
-
At the Soul Train Awards in 1997, Da Brat arrived outfitted in a similarly referential look, but her look evoked tomboy inclinations.—
Julian Randall,
Essence,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
That first impulse to vent or demand immediate action is rarely your friend.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Muscle Stimulation — Ayers and her fellow NASA flight engineer Anne McClain used electrodes to send electrical impulses into Ayers' legs as a possible countermeasure to muscle atrophy.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The cases against Oren and Alon Alexander remain pending and nothing involving the disposition of this case affects the cases against the Alexander brothers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 July 2025
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The Supreme Court may decide on the case as early as June 12, and a majority of justices have signaled a friendly disposition toward upholding Tennessee’s law that took effect in June 2023.—
Liam Adams,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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