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
His genius is in making films that can accommodate their oft-kilter instincts.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
The film’s more compelling moments reflect the rich uncertainty that Polly is able to mine from her new boss, whether that has to do with challenging her parental instincts, her lust for life, or even her sanity.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
But Columbus also possessed strong maritime instincts.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The instincts were on display, and the comfort appears to be settling in for James.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025
Turns out, her instincts paid off with a life-changing win.
—Daniella Segura, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
Readers urged her to trust her instincts and not allow herself to be minimized.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Lynne Ramsay‘s filmmaking approach involves quick thinking and fearless actors willing to trust her instincts — even when that means crawling through grass like animals with just 10 minutes’ notice.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
That’s the risk Benioff is taking, along with Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and others who are wagering that this administration and its strong-man instincts will outlast the next three years.
—Tom Chavez, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
The film’s more compelling moments reflect the rich uncertainty that Polly is able to mine from her new boss, whether that has to do with challenging her parental instincts, her lust for life, or even her sanity.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
But Columbus also possessed strong maritime instincts.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The instincts were on display, and the comfort appears to be settling in for James.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025
Turns out, her instincts paid off with a life-changing win.
—Daniella Segura, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
Readers urged her to trust her instincts and not allow herself to be minimized.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Lynne Ramsay‘s filmmaking approach involves quick thinking and fearless actors willing to trust her instincts — even when that means crawling through grass like animals with just 10 minutes’ notice.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
That’s the risk Benioff is taking, along with Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and others who are wagering that this administration and its strong-man instincts will outlast the next three years.
—Tom Chavez, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instincts
Noun
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In May, the 26-season DWTS vet took to TikTok to address some viewers' tendencies toward scrutiny and name-calling.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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Fire is indeed a concern in homes maintained by people with hoarding tendencies.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Travel volunteering — exchanging skills for accommodation and sometimes food or other benefits — has long been a pillar of the backpacking community.—
Georgiana Ralphs,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Consider adding to your skills by taking free and inexpensive upskilling courses like Google’s career certificates.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The cosmos is asking us to define our aspirations and inclinations.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
20 Oct. 2025
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LaCombe, who played forward in his youth, has shown great improvement in his own end but still has the offensive inclinations to be a point producer.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Catalina’s character is exceptionally well drawn, and the subtle, fantastic elements — unanswered phone calls, a sense of an unseen presence, intuitive impulses — lend the film a distinctive, poetic identity.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
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The changes to the prefrontal cortex can impact their decision making and control their impulses.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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However, because the animals' natural habitats share some overlap and both have similarly docile dispositions, zoos often group howlers and capybaras together.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
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Involvement in structuring joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, activist takeover and defense, financing arrangements, and similar matters will all be considered.—
Liane Jackson,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instincts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instincts. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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