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
This balance of instinct, creativity and discipline has been honed through experiences that have led Cerrato through Montblanc, Panerai, Tudor, HYT and, most recently, to the helm of Bremont.
—
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
Let your instincts guide you toward innovation.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
This conversation explores how a commitment to creative instinct has driven Bobby’s evolution as a storyteller and lifestyle entrepreneur.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Kurt's key takeaways Silent voicemails are designed to mess with your instincts.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
Let your instincts guide you toward innovation.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
This conversation explores how a commitment to creative instinct has driven Bobby’s evolution as a storyteller and lifestyle entrepreneur.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Kurt's key takeaways Silent voicemails are designed to mess with your instincts.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
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There is still a tendency in tech to assume serious funding has to flow through San Francisco or New York, but capital is increasingly available in markets that historically sat outside the center of the venture ecosystem.—
Hebron Sher,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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Overprivileged students had a tendency to see teachers and headmasters not as authority figures but as people of lower social standing.—
Thomas Adam,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Smart toys that can directly respond to children and their environments have proliferated in recent years, offering parents a new way to teach their children important skills.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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In a market where AI is commoditizing technical skills, top-tier marketers are looking for environments that value strategic autonomy and intellectual rigor.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Born to a humble family in the twilight years of the shogunate, Higuchi Natsuko (as she was born) was the fourth child and second daughter of a man with scholarly inclinations, who as a farmer had come to the capital to seek both fortune and rank.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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As organizations grow, leaders have an inclination to create more bureaucracy and more complexity.—
Bob Rhatigan,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
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This time, any remaining impulses of late 1990s and 2000s decadence have been erased with features like a social lobby and a sprawling rooftop park with verdant landscaping with Adirondack chairs and a campfire.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
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Therefore, guard your impulses.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Knauf developed this disposition throughout the tenure of his career, which began in product management.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
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Curiosity — the disposition to keep searching even when the AI has given you a good enough answer.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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