instinct1
[in-stingkt]
- an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species.
- a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency.
- a natural aptitude or gift: an instinct for making money.
- natural intuitive power.
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Origin of instinct1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.cominstinct2
[in-stingkt]
- filled or infused with some animating principle (usually followed by with): instinct with life.
- Obsolete. animated by some inner force.
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Origin of instinct2
1530–40; < Latin instinctus excited, roused, inspired, past participle of *insting(u)ere; see instinct1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
intuitionknacktalenthunchsentimentaptitudeimpulsesensesavvyfeelingtendencyinclinationurgeproclivitypredispositiongiftknow-hownosefacultyExamples from the Web for instinct
Contemporary Examples
Certainly my instinct is to identify with the police, no matter the circumstance.
In a flash he deflects the shot, with the speed of instinct, right past the goalkeeper.
The human desire for knowledge and exploration is an absolute good, and we need to follow that instinct.
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of MankindMarlow Stern
November 10, 2014
At times he was wobbly about whether he really had enough sources to support what his instinct told him was the truth.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror MachineClive Irving
August 25, 2014
With so few resources, they get by on little more than instinct and family love.
Filming a Beautiful Town in Decay: ‘Rich Hill’ and the Elusive American DreamTracy Droz Tragos
July 27, 2014
Historical Examples
She said it, as if guided by an instinct, to sound the depth of his love for her.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
What instinct made you choose that shade of pale green for your frock?
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
Yet she wondered if the instinct were not dormant, needing but the suggestion.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
Was it an instinct, she wondered—a reminder that there was in them material for manhood?
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
His instinct of sympathy with which he had greeted her at the outset was repelled, and made of no avail.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
instinct
- the innate capacity of an animal to respond to a given stimulus in a relatively fixed way
- inborn intuitive power
- a natural and apparently innate aptitude
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- rare (postpositive often foll by with)
- animated or impelled (by)
- imbued or infused (with)
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin instinctus roused, from instinguere to incite; compare instigate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for instinct
n.
early 15c., "a prompting," from Latin instinctus "instigation, impulse," noun use of past participle of instinguere "to incite, impel," from in- "on" (see in- (2)) + stinguere "prick, goad," from PIE *steig- "to prick, stick, pierce" (see stick (v.)). Meaning "animal faculty of intuitive perception" is from mid-15c., from notion of "natural prompting." Sense of "innate tendency" is first recorded 1560s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
instinct
(ĭn′stĭngkt′)- An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli.
- A powerful motivation or impulse.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
instinct
[ĭn′stĭngkt′]
- 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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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
instinct
Behavior that is not learned but passed between generations by heredity.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.