gut instinct

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable or uncountableinformal

   A strong feeling about what is right or true that comes without clear reasons or evidence.

   Grammar: Often used with a: a gut instinct, or without: trust your gut instinct.

   Patterns

   • trust your gut instinct
   • a gut instinct about something

   My gut instinct told me not to sign.

   She went with her gut instinct and took the job.

   Trust your gut instinct when something feels wrong.

Word forms

Common combinations

follow your gut instinct

I followed my gut instinct and left early.

trust your gut instinct

Trust your gut instinct about strangers.

go with your gut instinct

We went with our gut instinct on the choice.

gut instinct tells

My gut instinct tells me he is lying.

a strong gut instinct

She had a strong gut instinct about the deal.

Synonyms and how they differ

hunch

A hunch is a specific guess or feeling, while gut instinct suggests a deeper, more physical feeling.

intuition

Intuition is more formal and neutral, while gut instinct is casual and emotional.

instinct

Instinct can mean inborn behavior in animals, while gut instinct is a personal feeling about a situation.

feeling

Feeling is vague, but gut instinct implies a strong sense you act on.

Opposites

Word family

gut noun

the stomach or intestines, or a deep feeling

instinct noun

a natural tendency or feeling

instinctive adjective

done without thinking

instinctively adverb

in a natural way, without thought

Commonly confused: gut instinct or gut reaction?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “gut instinct”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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