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 instinct to line up early often makes the problem worse, Henderson told USA Today.
—
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 June 2026
While the instinct behind it is sound, the execution is where things tend to fall apart.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
While your first instinct may be to help, young cubs (also known as kits) are often left unattended while their parents hunt for food, and intervening too quickly can sometimes do more harm than good.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 13 June 2026
Hughes was, by instinct, a low-key, consensus politician, not a bold trailblazer.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 June 2026
While the instinct behind it is sound, the execution is where things tend to fall apart.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
While your first instinct may be to help, young cubs (also known as kits) are often left unattended while their parents hunt for food, and intervening too quickly can sometimes do more harm than good.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 13 June 2026
Hughes was, by instinct, a low-key, consensus politician, not a bold trailblazer.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
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Still, millennials are steeped in therapy culture, and there is a tendency to blame parents for a child’s pain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
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The best mattress-in-a-box for you has more to do with your body, sleeping position, tendency to run cool or hot, and other factors, not price.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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This expansion helps workers gain new skills, such as becoming a certified nursing assistant or welder, through federal assistance for training programs lasting 8 to 15 weeks.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
11 June 2026
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Education—from parents’ responsibility to grade school to university—should eschew teaching to the tools and focus instead on enduring human skills like curiosity, problem solving, and resilience.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Courtesy of Focus Features & CBS Despite its inclination toward the otherworldly, the original Twilight Zone created by TV pioneer Rod Serling was, at its core, about the weakness of human nature.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Maybe because there’s some cultural inclination toward making an idiosyncratic mark on one’s little corner.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Noun
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This era of Jane Remover—the music, which mainlines the noisiest impulses of SounDC, the discourse—is brasher and more acidic than ever.—
Mano Sundaresan,
Pitchfork,
10 June 2026
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There’s this small-d democratic impulse in Steven of this communion with his audience.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Noun
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During Monday’s disposition hearing, Cooper pleaded not guilty to the criminal mischief charge, and a motions hearing was scheduled for July 6.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
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Splashed across surfaces and accessories, the color establishes a sunny disposition, no matter the locale.—
Kathryn O'Shea-Evans,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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