instinct

¹ American  

[in-stingkt] / ˈɪn stɪŋkt /

noun

instincts plural

1. an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species.

2. a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency.

3. a natural aptitude or gift.

   an instinct for making money.

   Synonyms:

   talent, faculty, knack, genius

4. natural intuitive power.

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instinct ² American  

[in-stingkt] / ɪnˈstɪŋkt /

adjective

1. filled or infused with some animating principle (usually followed bywith ).

   instinct with life.

2. Obsolete. animated by some inner force.

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instinct British  

noun

1. the innate capacity of an animal to respond to a given stimulus in a relatively fixed way

2. inborn intuitive power

3. a natural and apparently innate aptitude

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adjective

1. rare

   1. animated or impelled (by)

   2. imbued or infused (with)

instinct Scientific  

/ ĭn′stĭngkt′ /

1. An inherited tendency of an organism to behave in a certain way, usually in reaction to its environment and for the purpose of fulfilling a specific need. The development and performance of instinctive behavior does not depend upon the specific details of an individual's learning experiences. Instead, instinctive behavior develops in the same way for all individuals of the same species or of the same sex of a species. For example, birds will build the form of nest typical of their species although they may never have seen such a nest being built before. Some butterfly species undertake long migrations to wintering grounds that they have never seen. Behavior in animals often reflects the influence of a combination of instinct and learning. The basic song pattern of many bird species is inherited, but it is often refined by learning from other members of the species. Dogs that naturally seek to gather animals such as sheep or cattle into a group are said to have a herding instinct, but the effective use of this instinct by the dog also requires learning on the dog's part. Instinct, as opposed to reflex, is usually used of inherited behavior patterns that are more complex or sometimes involve a degree of interaction with learning processes.

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instinct Cultural  

1. Behavior that is not learned but passed between generations by heredity.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• instincts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of instinct¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin instinctus “prompting, instigation, enthusiasm,” noun use of past participle of insting(uere) “to excite, incite, rouse,” from in- in- ² + -stinguere, presumably, “to prick, mark by pricking” ( cf. distinct, instigate)

Origin of instinct²

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin instinctus “excited, inspired,” past participle of instinguere “to excite, incite, rouse”; see instinct ¹

Explanation

An instinct is something you don't need to learn — it happens naturally, without you even thinking about it. Babies cry by instinct, and ducks follow their mother by instinct. Animals and humans learn a lot of things from other animals and humans. But if there isn't any learning involved, then the behavior is an instinct. Instincts come naturally, like a baby's desire to feed. Some behaviors are a combination of instinct and learned behavior, like language. Others happen without any teaching at all, like the instinct to run when you see a big, hungry looking bear. When you see the word instinct, think natural response.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instinct instincts

Your instinct that you’ll never be in a meaningfully lower tax bracket isn’t an unreasonable one, given your good fortune.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

The 35-year-old Englishman has often been accused of not showing enough killer instinct in the key moments of majors - and that could be levelled at him again this week.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

In a statement as chilling as it is insulting, Davis suggests that the protesters triggered a “Mother Hen” instinct that led the justice to rule against the administration on the birthright citizenship case.

From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026

Yet to listen to the brisk and sportive “Foreign Tongues” is to hear a band clearly going on instinct rather than overthinking the music à la any number of veteran acts in legacy-maintenance mode.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Whether or not a human knew what they were, an instinct inside them knew to be on alert, to be just a little afraid.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Others appeared more understanding: “People need to realize these are eagles ... and will do what instincts tell them to. And everything will be fine, regardless of what paths they each may take.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The newly documented behavior, observed in Israel, is the first of its kind and suggests that human made lighting can dramatically disrupt the instincts of small ground dwelling animals.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

That experience didn’t just provide her the freedom to fail; it pushed her to take risks with abandon and follow her instincts.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

This historical lesson may appear counterintuitive to modern instincts: Authority doesn’t always manifest through overt public declarations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

My first instincts are to take the bonnet off and see my hair for myself, but I’m scared.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Related Words

• aptitude
• feeling
• hunch
• impulse
• inclination
• intuition
• knack
• savvy
• sense
• sentiment
• talent
• tendency