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
Dillon Thieneman’s speed Since draft night in April, Thieneman has been lauded for his combination of speed, instincts and aggressiveness.
—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
Amron, Dane, Amanda and Alondra bring deep relationships and a modern understanding of the business, and Chinazam and Kashia have each earned these promotions through hard work and strong instincts.
—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 June 2026
Major economies have starkly different instincts in response to China’s lead in the embodied AI race.
—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
23 June 2026
Music industry titan Clive Davis, known for his unparalleled talent instincts, has passed away at 94.
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Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.
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Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
22 June 2026
But being prime minister required a different skill set and Starmer often fell short, lacking the flexibility and political instincts that the job requires — at least on the domestic front.
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ABC News,
22 June 2026
Listen closely and keep an open mind, but don’t abandon your instincts.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
With Chandler Groff still at large, Dalia and the Corsairs closing in, and the Kooks ensuring the Pogues have no home to return to, John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, and Cleo must rely on their scrappy instincts—and an uneasy alliance with Rafe—to keep from falling apart for good.
—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
18 June 2026
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
Amron, Dane, Amanda and Alondra bring deep relationships and a modern understanding of the business, and Chinazam and Kashia have each earned these promotions through hard work and strong instincts.
—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 June 2026
Major economies have starkly different instincts in response to China’s lead in the embodied AI race.
—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
23 June 2026
Music industry titan Clive Davis, known for his unparalleled talent instincts, has passed away at 94.
—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.
—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
22 June 2026
But being prime minister required a different skill set and Starmer often fell short, lacking the flexibility and political instincts that the job requires — at least on the domestic front.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
Listen closely and keep an open mind, but don’t abandon your instincts.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
With Chandler Groff still at large, Dalia and the Corsairs closing in, and the Kooks ensuring the Pogues have no home to return to, John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, and Cleo must rely on their scrappy instincts—and an uneasy alliance with Rafe—to keep from falling apart for good.
—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instincts
Noun
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The only real scoring chances arrived in the dying moments of a game that carried macabre tendencies, long after the match had devolved into a turf war.
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Across 15 tracks, the rapper and producer get to work making their first proper body of work together as memorable as expected, delving into relationship mishaps, selfish tendencies, and the absurdist comedy that is real life.
Noun
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Modern leadership increasingly demands physical fitness beyond traditional executive skills like strategic vision and emotional intelligence.
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Parents are looking for activities that do more than fill the hours, and a good cooking class can hand a child real skills, real confidence and a few recipes worth making again at home.
Noun
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Choosing a college major has always felt like a big life decision, influenced by not only personal inclinations and talents, but also by starting salaries—new engineering and computer science grads earn more than those with English degrees.
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There were inclinations to not fully believe in their capabilities against Argentina.
Noun
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His autodidactic impulses may lead him to the history of clock towers or to the interplanetary rarity of wood.
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Perhaps one of his impulses was not entirely off base.
Noun
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Change the leader themselves — their behaviours, their habits, their dispositions.
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David Yannetti, representing Officer Nicholas O’Malley, 33, has filed a slew of discovery motions in the case — requesting records of King’s complete criminal history, including all arrests, charges, dispositions, and pending matters from any jurisdiction.
Cite this Entry
“Instincts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instincts. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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