as in tendencies
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 instincts
Now several thousand dollars richer, everyone can succumb to their worst instincts.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
30 June 2026
But their personalities, and political instincts, converge most strikingly around cities.
—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
30 June 2026
Brands are built on consistency and control, and those instincts have served them well everywhere else.
—
Jordan P. Kelley,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Her anticipation is almost unfair as a product of quick instincts wrapped inside one of the most physically gifted frames in the league.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
29 June 2026
Even with its loose boundaries of what’s acceptable in a Renaissance fantasy realm, the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire has developed keen instincts about what fits in its world and what doesn’t.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
The division of labor, as Han describes it, was less about separating tasks than about bringing complementary instincts to bear on the same material.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 June 2026
Forget about the analytics, the matchups or the gut instincts.
—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
28 June 2026
Amron, Dane, Amanda and Alondra bring deep relationships and a modern understanding of the business, and Chinazam and Kashia have each earned these promotions through hard work and strong instincts.
—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 June 2026
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
30 June 2026
But their personalities, and political instincts, converge most strikingly around cities.
—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
30 June 2026
Brands are built on consistency and control, and those instincts have served them well everywhere else.
—
Jordan P. Kelley,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Her anticipation is almost unfair as a product of quick instincts wrapped inside one of the most physically gifted frames in the league.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
29 June 2026
Even with its loose boundaries of what’s acceptable in a Renaissance fantasy realm, the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire has developed keen instincts about what fits in its world and what doesn’t.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
The division of labor, as Han describes it, was less about separating tasks than about bringing complementary instincts to bear on the same material.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 June 2026
Forget about the analytics, the matchups or the gut instincts.
—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
28 June 2026
Amron, Dane, Amanda and Alondra bring deep relationships and a modern understanding of the business, and Chinazam and Kashia have each earned these promotions through hard work and strong instincts.
—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instincts
Noun
-
The same tendencies people are routinely told to correct are, in moderate form, closely tied to a busier, more exploratory style of thinking than most self-improvement advice accounts for.
-
Plath shows up in Dederer’s book about (mostly) men who make great art and live monstrous lives (and what to do with them), but only as a woman who turns her violent tendencies against herself.
Noun
-
Modern leadership increasingly demands physical fitness beyond traditional executive skills like strategic vision and emotional intelligence.
-
Parents are looking for activities that do more than fill the hours, and a good cooking class can hand a child real skills, real confidence and a few recipes worth making again at home.
Noun
-
Getty Choosing a college major has always been a big life decision, influenced by not only personal inclinations and talents, but also by starting salaries.
-
There were inclinations to not fully believe in their capabilities against Argentina.
Noun
-
As a result, the sanctity of the vote could rely on whether other government institutions and, ultimately, the citizenry can also mount a stand against the president’s worst impulses.
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After surgery, that device is programmed to send mild electrical impulses that block abnormal nerve signals and dramatically reduce tics.
Noun
-
The dispositions in the Massachusetts arrests were not immediately clear.
-
Change the leader themselves — their behaviours, their habits, their dispositions.
Cite this Entry
“Instincts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instincts. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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