instinct

noun

Definition of instinctnext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instinct The work showcased an idiosyncratic filmmaker freely following his heady, sometimes absurdist instincts. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026 Deputy Mayor Letitia Dzirasa has said the rollout will be phased, which is the right instinct. — Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Baltimore Sun, 5 Nov. 2026 That instinct has given his work a life beyond his tenure at individual houses. — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026 Rather than be overly protective about some of his most famous intellectual property, Burton wanted to let the legacy leather-goods house and its designers follow their own instincts. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
  1. tendency
  2. skill
  3. inclination
  4. impulse
  5. disposition
Noun
  • These efforts will be made more difficult by AI’s unpredictable nature, recent cybersecurity issues, and the tendency of AI search tools to reflect back results users want to see.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Adeyemi has a tendency to go off on tangents about astrology, tarots, mystical energy.
    — Wisdom Iheanyichukwu, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of tendency
Noun
  • Among those skills is the ability to ask meaningful questions.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • With the level of skill and talent in the room and Fagen’s neurotic focus, The Nightfly would be a glimmering sonic masterpiece, even as his material looked back to the days of two-track recordings mixed to mono.
    — Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of skill
Noun
  • In 1860, Muybridge was thrown from a carriage, resulting in a head injury that radically changed his personality and possibly heightened his artistic inclinations.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Gai said internal discussions regarding the future of the hydration breaks are underway, before adding that the inclination inside FIFA is to make the pauses available on a match-by-match basis.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of inclination
Noun
  • The same impulse that lifts some victims up can leave others, the imperfect ones, out in the cold.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The task of a deliberate legislative body is to reconcile those very different impulses.
    — Gibbs Knotts, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of impulse
Noun
  • The Democrat’s disposition as a love-thy-trans-neighbor seminarian is a cover for something far more sinister, the argument goes.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
  • How much of Rachael’s unsettled dignity comes from Young, the actress, her remote disposition, and the intensity in her eyes?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of disposition

Browse Nearby Words

instills
instinct
instinctive
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on instinct

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about instinct

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