1. An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli: the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals.
2. A powerful motivation or impulse.
3. An innate capability or aptitude: an instinct for tact and diplomacy.
1. Deeply filled or imbued: words instinct with love.
2. Obsolete. Impelled from within.
instinct
• 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.
• An instinct is a propensity prior to experience, and independent of instructions. --Paley.
• An instinct is a blind tendency to some mode of action, independent of any consideration, on the part of the agent, of the end to which the action leads. --Whately.
An instinct is an agent which performs blindly and ignorantly a work of intelligence and knowledge. --Sir W. Hamilton.
• By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust Ensuing dangers. --Shak.
• The natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without of improvement in the method.
• The resemblance between what originally was a habit, and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished. --Darwin.
• A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct.
2. A powerful motivation or impulse.
3. An innate capability or aptitude: an instinct for tact and diplomacy.
1. Deeply filled or imbued: words instinct with love.
2. Obsolete. Impelled from within.
instinct
• 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.
• An instinct is a propensity prior to experience, and independent of instructions. --Paley.
• An instinct is a blind tendency to some mode of action, independent of any consideration, on the part of the agent, of the end to which the action leads. --Whately.
An instinct is an agent which performs blindly and ignorantly a work of intelligence and knowledge. --Sir W. Hamilton.
• By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust Ensuing dangers. --Shak.
• The natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without of improvement in the method.
• The resemblance between what originally was a habit, and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished. --Darwin.
• A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct.
it is the survival instinct of the body to react in certain ways when faced with certain situations.... eg. sexual drive to reproduce and ensure the continued survival of the species.
by ESP master March 31, 2004
Get the instinct mug.Aside from the well written definition above, it is also the males instinct to quickly cover ones gonads if in danger.
As I walked to math class, I saw a bird flying at mid body level, not taking any chances, I quickly covered my gonads with one hand and quickly attempted to play it off as if nothing had happened.
by White widow April 14, 2005
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One of three Pokemon Go teams, up until now (08/10/2016) it has been the underdog and least popular, after Team Mystic and Team Valor. Team Instinct's color is yellow.
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Get the instinct mug.Instinct is a weird dude, editing videos while looking at Lewdrexes new post. He is a bastard on Twitter that doesn't deserve 731 followers. He's hella gay.
by Skully's definitions October 7, 2020
Get the Instinct mug.A well known discord server troller that goes by the name of “Instinct” (banned 42 times, muted permanently 19)
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Get the Instinct mug.Instinct if you don't have, why you looking.
by MineOwedWu's March 27, 2021
Get the Instinct mug.Jane's first instinct to being humiliated in the playground was to run after the boy that had initiated the teasing and give him "what for". Her decision to refrain from doing so was a wise one.
by Katrina Martin January 24, 2025
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