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- DictionaryIn·stinct
noun
- 1. an innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli: "birds have an instinct to build nests"
adjective
- 1. imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one): formal "these canvases are instinct with passion"
The meaning of INSTINCT is a natural or inherent aptitude, impulse, or capacity. How to use instinct in a sentence.
the way people or animals naturally react or behave, without having to think or learn about it: All his instincts told him to stay near the car and wait for help. [ + to infinitive ] Her first instinct was to run. It is instinct that tells the birds when to begin their migration.
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. Synonyms: talent, faculty, knack, genius.
instinct, an inborn impulse or motivation to action typically performed in response to specific external stimuli. Today instinct is generally described as a stereotyped, apparently unlearned, genetically determined behaviour pattern.
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.
noun. /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/ [uncountable, countable] a natural quality that makes people and animals tend to behave in a particular way using the knowledge and abilities that they were born with rather than thought or training. She did not seem to have any of the usual maternal instincts.
instinct (that…) a feeling that makes you do something or believe that something is true, even though it is not based on facts or reason synonym intuition Her instincts had been right. See instinct in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Check pronunciation: instinct.
the way someone naturally reacts or behaves, without having to think or learn about it: [ + to do sth ] a mother's instinct to protect her children. (Definition of instinct from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Translations of instinct. in Chinese (Traditional) 本能，直覺… See more. in Chinese (Simplified) 本能，直觉… See more
4 days ago · An instinct is the natural tendency that a person has to behave or react in a particular way.
A primal psychic force or drive, as fear, love, or anger; specif., in Freudian analysis, either the life instinct (Eros) or the death instinct (Thanatos)
