Definitions for instinct
ˈɪn stɪŋktin·stinct

Princeton's WordNet(3.50 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. instinct, inherent aptitudeadjective

   inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli

   "the spawning instinct in salmon"; "altruistic instincts in social animals"

2. instinct(p), replete(p)adjective

   (followed by `with')deeply filled or permeated

   "imbued with the spirit of the Reformation"; "words instinct with love"; "it is replete with misery"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. instinctnoun

   A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.

   Many animals fear fire by instinct.

   Etymology: From instinctus, past participle of instinguere, from in + stinguere

2. instinctnoun

   An intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought.

   Debbie's instinct was to distrust John.

   Etymology: From instinctus, past participle of instinguere, from in + stinguere

3. instinctadjective

   Urged or stimulated from within, infused

   Etymology: From instinctus, past participle of instinguere, from in + stinguere

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Instinctadjective

   urged or stimulated from within; naturally moved or impelled; imbued; animated; alive; quick; as, birds instinct with life

   Etymology: [L. instinctus, p. p. of instinguere to instigate, incite; cf. instigare to instigate. Cf. Instigate, Distinguish.]

2. Instinctadjective

   natural inward impulse; unconscious, involuntary, or unreasoning prompting to any mode of action, whether bodily, or mental, without a distinct apprehension of the end or object to be accomplished

   Etymology: [L. instinctus, p. p. of instinguere to instigate, incite; cf. instigare to instigate. Cf. Instigate, Distinguish.]

3. Instinctadjective

   specif., the natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without of improvement in the method

   Etymology: [L. instinctus, p. p. of instinguere to instigate, incite; cf. instigare to instigate. Cf. Instigate, Distinguish.]

4. Instinctadjective

   a natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct

   Etymology: [L. instinctus, p. p. of instinguere to instigate, incite; cf. instigare to instigate. Cf. Instigate, Distinguish.]

5. Instinctverb

   to impress, as an animating power, or instinct

   Etymology: [L. instinctus, p. p. of instinguere to instigate, incite; cf. instigare to instigate. Cf. Instigate, Distinguish.]

Freebase(3.89 / 9 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Instinct

   Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular complex behavior. The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a clearly defined stimulus. Any behavior is instinctive if it is performed without being based upon prior experience, and is therefore an expression of innate biological factors. Sea turtles, newly hatched on a beach, will automatically move toward the ocean. A joey climbs into its mother's pouch upon being born. Honeybees communicate by dancing in the direction of a food source without formal instruction. Other examples include animal fighting, animal courtship behavior, internal escape functions, and the building of nests. All of these are examples of complex behaviors and are thus substantially different from simple reflex behaviors. An instinct should be distinguished from a reflex, which is a simple response of an organism to a specific stimulus, such as the contraction of the pupil in response to bright light or the spasmodic movement of the lower leg when the knee is tapped. Instincts, in contrast, are inborn complex patterns of behavior that must exist in every member of the species and that cannot be overcome by force of will. However, the absence of volitional capacity must not be confused with an inability to modify fixed action patterns. For example, people may be able to modify a stimulated fixed action pattern by consciously recognizing the point of its activation and simply stop doing it, whereas animals without a sufficiently strong volitional capacity may not be able to disengage from their fixed action patterns, once activated.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Instinct

   in′stingkt, n. impulse: an involuntary prompting to action: intuition: the mental aspect of those actions which take rank between unconscious reflex activities and intelligent conduct: the natural impulse by which animals are guided apparently independent of reason or experience.—adj. (in-stingkt′) instigated or incited: moved: animated.—adj. Instinc′tive, prompted by instinct: involuntary: acting according to or determined by natural impulse.—adv. Instinc′tively.—n. Instinctiv′ity (rare). [L. instinctus—instinguĕre, to instigate.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Instinct

   Stereotyped patterns of response, characteristic of a given species, that have been phylogenetically adapted to a specific type of situation.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. instinct

   Intuition or intuitive feeling, knowing or thought.

   He said his instinct told him to carry out acts of kindness towards his fellow human beings to he acted according to his instinct.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 18, 2016  

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'instinct' in Nouns Frequency: #2015

How to pronounce instinct?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say instinct in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of instinct in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of instinct in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of instinct in a Sentence

1. Ehsan Sehgal:

   The evolution between doubt and belief is a natural-instinct without that one cannot recognize its belief. Doubt leads to believe if one can defeat the doubt.

2. Carole Baskin:

   I was so impressed with the deputy that showed up on the scene because Carole Baskin did exactly the right thing. And he showed amazing restraint in not shooting that tiger, he kept eye contact. He backed away slowly. A tiger, if you look down, if you turn, if that neighbor had run back to his door, that triggers their instinct to kill.

3. Jeremy Hunt:

   We are going to make our own independent assessment, we have our processes to do that, (but) we have no reason not to believe the American assessment and our instinct is to believe it because they are our closest ally.

4. George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron:

   There is no instinct like that of the heart.

5. Janvier Chouteu-Chando:

   Fear is a basic human instinct and an indicator of the gravity of a situation. It becomes an asset if it is effectively controlled. It becomes a weakness for a man if he lets it to prevail over him.”

Images & Illustrations of instinct

Popularity rank by frequency of use