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
Behavioral and ecological unknowns also loom large; modifying an elephant’s genes doesn’t guarantee mammoth-like instincts or behavior.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Perhaps Dimon is listening - to his shareholders, his instincts, and his vision for the company.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
The billionaire isn’t the only CEO who touts the importance of trusting your instincts.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2025
Years of experience have shaped your instincts.
—Aslak De Silva, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Trust your instincts and if something doesn’t feel right, follow your gut.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
His mom was instantly worried, and her instincts weren’t exactly wrong.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2025
Reformers argued that women, with their natural maternal instincts, could help clean up society’s moral problems.
—Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
Additionally, anxiety or illness could cause a cat to hide under blankets, though these behaviors are usually harmless and rooted in their instincts or preferences.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Perhaps Dimon is listening - to his shareholders, his instincts, and his vision for the company.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
The billionaire isn’t the only CEO who touts the importance of trusting your instincts.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2025
Years of experience have shaped your instincts.
—Aslak De Silva, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Trust your instincts and if something doesn’t feel right, follow your gut.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
His mom was instantly worried, and her instincts weren’t exactly wrong.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2025
Reformers argued that women, with their natural maternal instincts, could help clean up society’s moral problems.
—Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
Additionally, anxiety or illness could cause a cat to hide under blankets, though these behaviors are usually harmless and rooted in their instincts or preferences.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instincts
Noun
-
But his theory seemed to mirror the temperament of Deng, who, for all his reformist tendencies, was a ruthless apparatchik.—
Chang Che,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2024
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Understanding your own tendencies is the first step to improving communication.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Employers want to see proof of your skills, not just hear about them.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes,
28 Dec. 2024
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Often, the skills these artisans honed on other movies helped prepare them for the leap to directing.—
Carolyn Giardina,
Variety,
28 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For fashion cognoscenti this is a refreshing departure from quiet luxury inclinations–and and overdue return into the arms of maximalism.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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Walker Wear was bred from these inclinations–and its take-off was historic.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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If convicted, Mangione will have solidified a fateful decision to give in to murderous impulses and thrown away a promising future, totally ruining his own life.—
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Mar. 2025
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Funny how impulses come and go.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instincts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instincts. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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