Search results
- 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"
Powered by Oxford Dictionaries
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.
An instinct is the natural tendency that a person has to behave or react in a particular way.
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.
Instinct definition: an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species.. See examples of INSTINCT used in a sentence.
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.
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.