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instinct - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'instinct' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Instinct [ a.]
- Urged or stimulated from within; naturally moved or impelled; imbued; animated; alive; quick; as, birds instinct with life.
- 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.
- Specif., the natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without of improvement in the method.
- A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct.
2 . Instinct [ v. t.]
- To impress, as an animating power, or instinct.

Meaning of 'instinct' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . instinct [ n]
Meaning (1):
- inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
Example in sentence:
  • altruistic instincts in social animals;
  • the spawning instinct in salmon
2 . instinct [ s]
Meaning (2):
- (followed by `with') deeply filled or permeated
Example in sentence:
  • imbued with the spirit of the Reformation;
  • it is replete with misery;
  • words instinct with love

Nearby Words:

insabbatati insafety insalivation insalubrious insalubrity insalutary insanability insanable insanableness insanably

See 'instinct' also in:

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Related Definitions

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  • Instinct Theory
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