Meaning & use
instinct
An innate, unlearned pattern of behavior or a natural tendency to act in a certain way without conscious reasoning.
See it in a sentence
Her instinct told her something was wrong before anyone said a word.
Migrating birds rely on instinct rather than experience to find their way south.
A note on using this word
Instinct refers to behavior that arises naturally, while "intuition" more often describes a learned sense or hunch based on accumulated experience.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
reasondeliberation
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