Synonyms of instincts

instincts

noun

plural of instinct

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.

Related Words

• tendencies
• skills
• inclinations
• impulses
• dispositions
• proclivities
• predispositions
• predilections
• affinities
• propensities
• urges
• biases
• needs
• capabilities
• leanings
• drives
• penchants
• powers
• partialities
• facilities
• habitudes
• turns
• capacities
• potentials
• competences
• faculties
• proficiencies
• talents
• aptitudes
• gifts
• specialties
• specialities
• endowments
• bents
• geniuses
• fortes
• specialisms
• knacks
• flairs
• heads

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of instincts

This is a physically mature 18-year-old player, and while elements of his game will require some work — specifically his shot selection — his two-way instincts and physical makeup are near NHL-ready, if not NHL-ready outright. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

As for the sextile aspect, this allows room for our personal instincts to merge with the change occurring in the collective. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026

Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about stranger safety and remind them to trust their instincts. — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

While hardly imposing physically, Taaffe’s intelligence and instincts give him a chance. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026

However, Rankin’s creative gestalt extends beyond impressive curatorial instincts. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

When those two instincts collide, it’s bound to be complex and conflicting, and Greengrass delivers that with a boots-on-the-ground style. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Was hearing Roland Hayes and, in time, other inspiring artists sing Schubert, Brahms, and Schumann songs like being beckoned by a musical brook to trust her instincts and follow its unlikely path? — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Not something that was designed as strategically perfect, but something built out of our collective instincts and influence on one another. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026