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
That instinct to hold onto her wardrobe has paid off as trends resurface, allowing the actress to revisit and reinterpret earlier looks.
—
Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
While limited-government instincts seem to have atrophied for many Republicans, Duffy has retained the good sense of opposing government bailouts for private companies.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 3 May 2026
The Moon enters your sign and activates your 1st House of Self, putting your instincts and direction front and center.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Always ready with the right baseball, the right toss, the right instinct.
—Peter Folan, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
While limited-government instincts seem to have atrophied for many Republicans, Duffy has retained the good sense of opposing government bailouts for private companies.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 3 May 2026
The Moon enters your sign and activates your 1st House of Self, putting your instincts and direction front and center.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Always ready with the right baseball, the right toss, the right instinct.
—Peter Folan, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
-
There's generally a tendency for organizations to focus too much on measuring or tracking input or activity, as opposed to output.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
His playoff history and tendency to let up weak goals do raise some red flags.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Children ages 4-13 can hone their lightsaber skills and sip on non-alcoholic teal lemonade.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
These include performance overheads for complex tasks or workloads that need to be completed with low latency, as well as filling in skills gaps for software developers who have no FHE knowledge or experience.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The inclination is not to pay, according to Alisha Rayner, the city’s director of operations and communications.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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The 11 satellites on board are flying to a mid-inclination orbit.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The situation stems from the commendable liberal impulse to devote extensive resources to public education.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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Because at its core, this legal drama that revolves around artificial intelligence is actually rooted in the very human impulses of kinship, greed, betrayal, and power.—
Tom Dotan,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Every one of those cases, there's an indictment and then eventually there is a trial or some sort of disposition.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
-
The report and final disposition memos were released by the Sheriff’s Office this week.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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