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- Dictionaryinstinct
noun
- 1. an innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli: "the homing instinct"
adjective
- 1. imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one): formal "these canvases are instinct with passion"
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the way people or animals naturally react or behave, without having to think or learn about it: All his instincts told him to stay near the car and wait for help. [ + to infinitive ] Her first instinct was to run. It is instinct that tells the birds when to begin their migration.
1. : a natural or inherent aptitude, impulse, or capacity. had an instinct for the right word. 2. a. : a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason. b. : behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level. instinctual.
Instinct is a feeling that you have that something is the case, rather than an opinion or idea based on facts. There is scientific evidence to support our instinct that being surrounded by plants is good for health. He seems so honest and genuine and my every instinct says he's not. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
An instinct is something you don't need to learn — it happens naturally, without you even thinking about it. Babies cry by instinct, and ducks follow their mother by instinct.
noun. /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/ [uncountable, countable] a natural quality that makes people and animals tend to behave in a particular way using the knowledge and abilities that they were born with rather than thought or training. She did not seem to have any of the usual maternal instincts.
instinct. noun. /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/. [uncountable, countable] instinct (for something/for doing something) instinct (to do something) a natural tendency for people and animals to behave in a particular way, using the knowledge and abilities that they were born with rather than thought or training maternal instincts Children do not know by instinct ...
INSTINCT meaning: 1 : a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned a natural desire or tendency that makes you want to act in a particular way; 2 : something you know without learning it or thinking about it.
noun [ C, U ] uk / ˈɪnstɪŋkt / us. Add to word list. the way someone naturally reacts or behaves, without having to think or learn about it: [ + to do sth ] a mother's instinct to protect her children.
The earliest known use of the noun instinct is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for instinct is from around 1412–20, in a translation by John Lydgate, poet and prior of Hatfield Regis. instinct is a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin instinctus.
the way people or animals naturally react or behave, without having to think or learn about it: All his instincts told him to stay near the car and wait for help. [ + to infinitive ] Her first instinct was to run. It is instinct that tells the birds when to begin their migration.
