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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"
instinct. 1. [ in -stingkt ] Phonetic (Standard)IPA. noun. 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. natural intuitive power. instinct. 2.
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 meaning: 1 : a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned a natural desire or tendency that makes you want to act in a particular way; 2 : something you know without learning it or thinking about it.
4 days ago · 1. variable noun. Instinct is the natural tendency that a person or animal has to behave or react in a particular way. I didn't have as strong a maternal instinct as some other mothers. The basis for training relies on the dog's natural instinct to hunt and retrieve. He always knew what time it was, as if by instinct.
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.
noun [ C, U ] uk / ˈɪnstɪŋkt / us. Add to word list. 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)
