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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 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
-
The young David displayed hypergraphic tendencies—the compulsive need to make a mark, to depict.—
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
-
There is a tendency in retail to discuss scale in operational terms.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Is his best skill dribbling, incisive passing or scoring with both feet?—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The humanistic impulse tends to make reason the final authority, whereas Christianity is a revelatory faith.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
After losing Saint Pepsi to trademark law, DeRobertis and future funk took diverging paths—the former towards nu-disco and synthpop, the latter towards a new artistic disposition made up of anime girls and neon colors.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
13 June 2026
-
The fighters look more like themselves from a disposition standpoint.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
