instinct

¹ American  

[in-stingkt] / ˈɪn stɪŋkt /

noun

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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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

The Fed’s instinct is to look through oil shocks such as that caused by the Iran war, Powell said, since energy prices tend to spike and then quickly reverse.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

That instinct, he told me, comes from a lifetime of feeling miscast in American politics.

From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026

But instinct kicked in swiftly, and many of the journalists in the crowd of 2,600 people were using their phones to capture video.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

Patel’s instinct to use force to fix his reputation reared its head again with the girlfriend scandal.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

She had a good instinct for people too.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

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