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
Appeal to your colleague’s better instincts as an educator and discourage this practice immediately.
—
Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Because of that, cats’ predatory instincts and behaviors are still very close to their wild ancestors.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2026
Workers at Pratt & Whitney see their roles as integral to something larger — work that requires instinct, creativity and judgment.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
This five-in-one interactive toy is designed to activate your kitty's hunting instincts.
—Jessica Moore, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Because of that, cats’ predatory instincts and behaviors are still very close to their wild ancestors.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2026
Workers at Pratt & Whitney see their roles as integral to something larger — work that requires instinct, creativity and judgment.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
This five-in-one interactive toy is designed to activate your kitty's hunting instincts.
—Jessica Moore, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
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Kahn studies automation bias, the tendency of human operators to overdelegate to machines.—
Eric Sullivan,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
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Tactics are often cyclical and repeated over time, but the current tendency is very much towards the former.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Flagg has showcased his playmaking skills in several ways throughout his first season in the NBA.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The humanoid demonstrated highly dynamic parkour skills upon being trained using the framework.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The 11 satellites on board are flying to a mid-inclination orbit.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
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My inclination next holiday is to continue to hand him the cookies and the card but not the cash.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There’s an impulse to craft a serene environment using pale hues and white bed sheets, but for those far from the minimalist end of the spectrum, don’t be afraid to take risks.—
Elizabeth Stamp,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
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Yet the tyrannical impulse of authoritarian populists is the same across the world.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But there's also, in addition to a policy conviction, there's also a disposition.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Convictions older than seven years, based on the date of the disposition, can’t be used either.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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