Meaning & use
instinct
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
A natural, inborn pattern of behavior that does not need to be learned.
Grammar: Countable for a particular drive: a survival instinct.
Patterns
- an instinct for something
- by instinct
Birds migrate by instinct.
The kitten's hunting instinct appeared early.
Fear is a basic survival instinct.
nouncountable
A strong feeling about what is right, made quickly and without careful thought.
Grammar: Often my instincts: trust your instincts.
Patterns
- trust your instincts
- an instinct that something
My instinct told me not to open the door.
Trust your instincts when meeting strangers.
She has good business instincts.
nounsingular
A natural talent or ability for a particular activity.
Grammar: Usually followed by for: an instinct for design.
Patterns
- an instinct for something
He has an instinct for numbers.
The chef has an instinct for flavor.
She showed a natural instinct for leadership.
Word forms
| plural | instincts |
|---|
Common combinations
- survival instinct
- A survival instinct kicked in when the car skidded.
- follow your instincts
- I followed my instincts and took the job.
- maternal instinct
- Her maternal instinct was strong.
- gut instinct
- My gut instinct says he is lying.
- instinct for
- She has an instinct for spotting talent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intuition
- Intuition often comes from experience and feels like a hunch, while instinct is an inborn drive.
- hunch
- A hunch is a specific suspicion, whereas an instinct is a general natural urge.
- impulse
- An impulse is a sudden urge to act, which is not necessarily inborn.
Opposites
Word family
- instinctive adjective
- done without thinking
- instinctively adverb
- in a natural, automatic way
- instinctual adjective
- relating to instinct
Commonly confused: instinct or intuition?
instinct vs intuition
Intuition is a feeling of knowing something without reasoning, often built on experience, unlike a built-in instinct.
Practice
A newborn turtle heading to the sea acts from ____.
Choose one answer.
Instinct is inborn behavior. Study, advice and practice all involve learning, which a newborn turtle has not done.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “instinct”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.