Word
instinct
Phoneticsin·stinct
/ˈɪnstɪŋkt/
Definitions
01natural behavior
n. a natural way of acting that animals and people are born with.
n. an innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.
“Birds have a natural instinct to build nests in the springtime.”
“The migratory instinct in certain species of butterflies remains one of the most fascinating subjects in behavioral biology.”
Antonyms
02intuitive feeling
n. a feeling that makes you do something without having to think about it first.
n. a natural aptitude or intuitive way of acting or thinking without conscious deliberation.
“My first instinct was to run, but I decided to stay and help.”
“Her professional instinct told her that the deal was too good to be true, despite the impressive figures presented by the board.”
Synonyms
03filled with
adj. filled or charged with a specific quality or feeling.
adj. imbued or charged with a particular quality, emotion, or spirit.
“The old forest was instinct with a strange and quiet energy.”
“The poet described a landscape instinct with life, where every leaf and stone seemed to vibrate with a hidden spirit.”
Archaic · Literary
Usage
Usually followed by the preposition 'with'.
Real-World Examples
“The twist is (and it’s really not much of a surprise) that the true enemy is not really the shark, which is only following its sharky instincts.” “Your first instinct might be to try to count the completed grids individually.” “But when it is darker, during an eclipse, that instinct may not kick in, even while our eyes are being damaged.” “As in Dreamshook, Nolan’s instinct is to celebrate scientists and innovators as fellow humans rather than venerating them as geniuses.” Etymology
From Latin īnstīnctus, past participle of īnstinguō (“to incite, to instigate”), from in (“in, on”) + stinguō (“to prick”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
killer instinct — The natural inclination to aggressively achieve dominance or success in a particular endeavor.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/instinct