as in tendencies
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 instincts
Tug-of-war also channels a dog’s natural instincts of capturing prey, keeping them engaged.
—
Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Now he is left wondering if his protective instincts went too far.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
Yoon was particularly impressed by Seo Su-bin’s collaborative instincts.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
But when the game changes, old instincts can hold companies back.
—Brad Rencher, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
But Cliff’s car gets towed, and Brittany doesn’t seem eager to come pick him up, so a combination of Good Samaritan instincts and a desire to avoid her lack of Christmas Eve plans prompts Didi to drive him to the impound lot.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Honor your instincts while maintaining awareness of their limits.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Instead, the narrative centers Abloh’s collaborative instincts and his genius for slamming contexts together, often in ways that ironized fashion itself.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The 5-11, 200-pound Trader might be undersized by NFL standards, but his relentless work ethic, special teams experience and athletic instincts give him a great chance to stick on any roster.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2025
Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Now he is left wondering if his protective instincts went too far.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
Yoon was particularly impressed by Seo Su-bin’s collaborative instincts.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
But when the game changes, old instincts can hold companies back.
—Brad Rencher, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
But Cliff’s car gets towed, and Brittany doesn’t seem eager to come pick him up, so a combination of Good Samaritan instincts and a desire to avoid her lack of Christmas Eve plans prompts Didi to drive him to the impound lot.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Honor your instincts while maintaining awareness of their limits.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Instead, the narrative centers Abloh’s collaborative instincts and his genius for slamming contexts together, often in ways that ironized fashion itself.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The 5-11, 200-pound Trader might be undersized by NFL standards, but his relentless work ethic, special teams experience and athletic instincts give him a great chance to stick on any roster.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instincts
Noun
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Those prompts might serve to reduce the AI’s default tendencies and keep the AI from going down rabbit holes with the person.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Dennis is often seen playing it as a way of acting out his manipulative tendencies toward actual human beings, and Dennis and Roman also go to a Hollywood party as Sims.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That neutralized the advantage Sabalenka would have expected, and forced Sabalenka into first hitting more shots than she’s used to, and then going for too-small margins because of Pegula’s defensive skills once the rallies started.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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The president told The Scott Jennings Radio Show that the concession resulted from his hard-nosed negotiating skills.—
Jamie McIntyre,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While the corrupt scheme was well documented journalistically and much of the evidence is indicative, ultimately Argentina's Judiciary followed its political inclinations all the way to the top.—
Agustino Fontevecchia,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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The artist’s ability to straddle the line between tomboy inclinations and ultra-glam moments is what has always attracted me to her style.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The issue is that if the impulses behind these choices are recognizable in theory, the characters themselves are broad to the point of abstraction.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Research suggests that those unable to regulate their media use struggle with cognitive control, such as less control over their impulses and greater distractibility.—
Angelica Mari,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The same can be said of Mescal, who’s already parlayed playing men of muscular physique and melancholy dispositions into above-the-title movie stardom.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
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The state continues to see a backlog in its gun background check system, with more than 57,000 criminal arrests not yet linked to court case dispositions, according to TBI.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instincts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instincts. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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