as in tendency
a usually innate ability or desire to perform a specific activity
Pouncing on mice is a cat's natural instinct. We needed all of our survival instincts to make it through the weeks lost at sea.
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Recent Examples of instinct
The time O’Brien spent around sets appears to have honed his showman instincts.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Her optimism, sharp instincts, and enduring dedication to mentoring have had a lasting and meaningful impact.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 July 2025
And there our instinct under the Free Exercise Clause should in most cases be one of deference to the parents.
—Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 8 July 2025
This sleek decanter aerates while serving angles (and leveling up your sommelier instincts).
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Her optimism, sharp instincts, and enduring dedication to mentoring have had a lasting and meaningful impact.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 July 2025
And there our instinct under the Free Exercise Clause should in most cases be one of deference to the parents.
—Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 8 July 2025
This sleek decanter aerates while serving angles (and leveling up your sommelier instincts).
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinct
Noun
-
The bill ultimately continues a generations-long Republican tendency to transfer wealth upward while abandoning working Americans. Davis: The wealth transfer Trump seeks is from government to taxpayers.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
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Traits shape your willingness to try new things, your perception of effort, and your comfort level in different environments—making exercise a natural outlet for expressing these tendencies, said Matthew Sacco, PhD, a sports medicine psychologist at Cleveland Clinic.—
Brian Mastroianni,
Health,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Majors that require quantitative and analytical skills, such as engineering, tend to lend the highest salaries within five years of graduation, according to data from the New York Fed.—
Natalie Wu,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
-
Kansas City remains the team to beat in the AFC, and a big reason for that is the skills of Mahomes.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Noun
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The inclination of those operating from this skillset is to evaluate the interrelationships and interconnections within and between steps, processes, systems and people.—
Terina Allen,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Marseille’s artistic inclination is matched by an obsession with food which, typically, is very different from what appears on plates in the rest of France.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Given the polarization that has bedeviled society for the past decade, Francis Coppola’s struggle now becomes a parable for all the ways in which a filmmaker’s integrity and inspiration can be hobbled — including the deranged partisanship that hides behind today’s activist-filmmaker impulse.—
Armond White,
National Review,
4 July 2025
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Race junkies need to be prepared for impulse buys, though, as everything in the store is an eye-catcher.—
Eric Larsen,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Noun
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The cases against Oren and Alon Alexander remain pending and nothing involving the disposition of this case affects the cases against the Alexander brothers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 July 2025
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The Supreme Court may decide on the case as early as June 12, and a majority of justices have signaled a friendly disposition toward upholding Tennessee’s law that took effect in June 2023.—
Liam Adams,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinct. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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