Need another word that means the same as “instinct”? Find 22 synonyms and 30 related words for “instinct” in this overview.
Table Of Contents:
- Instinct as a Noun
- Definitions of "Instinct" as a noun
- Synonyms of "Instinct" as a noun (21 Words)
- Usage Examples of "Instinct" as a noun
- Instinct as an Adjective
- Definitions of "Instinct" as an adjective
- Synonyms of "Instinct" as an adjective (1 Word)
- Usage Examples of "Instinct" as an adjective
- Associations of "Instinct" (30 Words)
The synonyms of “Instinct” are: urge, appetite, desire, need, natural tendency, inclination, drive, compulsion, talent, gift, ability, capacity, facility, faculty, aptitude, skill, flair, feel, genius, knack, bent, replete
Instinct as a Noun
Definitions of "Instinct" as a noun
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “instinct” as a noun can have the following definitions:
- Inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli.
- A natural propensity or skill of a specified kind.
- The fact or quality of possessing innate behaviour patterns.
- An innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli.
- A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking.
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Synonyms of "Instinct" as a noun (21 Words)
ability | The quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment. A man of exceptional ability. |
appetite | A feeling of craving something. They suffered from loss of appetite. |
aptitude | Suitability or fitness. The aptitude of this society to assimilate new elements. |
bent | A special way of doing something. He had a bent for it. |
capacity | The maximum amount that something can contain. The room was filled to capacity. |
compulsion | The action or state of forcing or being forced to do something; constraint. The payment was made under compulsion. |
desire | Something desired. A man of many desires. |
drive | Hitting a golf ball off of a tee with a driver. Emotional and sexual drives. |
facility | A natural effortlessness. They conversed with great facility. |
faculty | One of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind. The law faculty. |
feel | Feelings of heightened emotion. It s easy when you get the feel of it. |
flair | Stylishness and originality. She had a flair for languages. |
genius | An exceptionally intelligent person or one with exceptional skill in a particular area of activity. That woman has a genius for organization. |
gift | Something acquired without compensation. Wedding gifts. |
inclination | (geometry) the angle formed by the x-axis and a given line (measured counterclockwise from the positive half of the x-axis. Changes in inclination of the line on the graph. |
knack | A tendency to do something. He had a special knack for getting into trouble. |
natural tendency | Someone regarded as certain to succeed. |
need | A state of extreme poverty or destitution. God has no need of men to accomplish His work. |
skill | A particular ability. Difficult work taking great skill. |
talent | A former weight and unit of currency, used especially by the ancient Romans and Greeks. She displayed a talent for garden design. |
urge | An instinctive motive. He felt the urge to giggle. |
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Usage Examples of "Instinct" as a noun
- His instinct for making the most of his chances.
- The homing instinct.
- Altruistic instincts in social animals.
- Instinct told her not to ask the question.
- The spawning instinct in salmon.
- They retain their old authoritarian instincts.
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Instinct as an Adjective
Definitions of "Instinct" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “instinct” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Deeply filled or permeated.
- (followed by `with') deeply filled or permeated.
- Imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one.
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Synonyms of "Instinct" as an adjective (1 Word)
replete | Filled to satisfaction with food or drink. I went out into the sun drenched streets again replete and relaxed. |
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Usage Examples of "Instinct" as an adjective
- Words instinct with love.
- These canvases are instinct with passion.
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Associations of "Instinct" (30 Words)
adoptee | Someone (such as a child) who has been adopted. |
antenatal | Occurring or existing before birth. Antenatal care. |
born | British nuclear physicist born in Germany honored for his contributions to quantum mechanics 1882 1970. A born musician. |
congenital | (of a disease or physical abnormality) present from birth. A congenital liar. |
distaff | A stick or spindle on to which wool or flax is wound for spinning. Marriage is still the passport to distaff power. |
feminine | A feminine word or form. The snowdrops gave a feminine touch to the table. |
genetically | In a way that relates to origin or development. Language varieties that are genetically related. |
hereditary | Relating to inheritance. Either hereditary or environmental factors. |
inborn | Present at birth but not necessarily hereditary; acquired during fetal development. An inborn defect in the formation of collagen. |
inherence | The state of inhering; the state of being a fixed characteristic. The inherence of polysemy in human language. |
inherent | Vested in someone as a right or privilege. Shortcomings inherent in our approach. |
innate | Being talented through inherited qualities. An innate talent. |
intrinsic | Belonging to a thing by its very nature. Intrinsic muscles. |
intuition | An impression that something might be the case. He had an intuition that something had gone wrong. |
maternal | Relating to a mother, especially during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth. Warm maternal affection for her guest. |
matriarch | A feisty older woman with a big bosom (as drawn in cartoons. A domineering matriarch. |
mother | Care for like a mother. She didn t know how to mother my brother and he was very sensitive. |
mutual | A mutual building society or insurance company. Scottish Amicable may switch from mutual to plc status. |
nascent | (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential. The nascent chicks. |
natal | A port city in northeastern Brazil. He was living in the south many miles from his natal city. |
native | Used in names of animals or plants resembling others familiar elsewhere e g native bee. The marigold is a native of southern Europe. |
parent | Be or act as a parent to a child. Stems will root down creating a new crown near the parent. |
parental | Denoting an organization or company which owns or controls a number of subsidiaries. Parental guidance. |
paternal | Belonging to or inherited from one’s father. His father and paternal grandfather were porcelain painters. |
paternity | Paternal origin. Tests were conducted to determine paternity. |
pregnancy | The condition or period of being pregnant. A straightforward pregnancy. |
prenatal | Before birth; during or relating to pregnancy. The prenatal period. |
uncle | A source of help and advice and encouragement. He visited his uncle. |
visceral | Relating to or affecting the viscera. The visceral nervous system. |
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