instinct
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instinct
- /ˈɪn.stɪŋkt/
Rhymes with -ɪŋkt
Where it comes from
From Latin īnstīnctus, past participle of īnstinguō (“to incite, to instigate”), from in (“in, on”) + stinguō (“to prick”).
noun instincts
- A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour. Many animals fear fire by instinct.
- An intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought. an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct
adjective more instinct · most instinct
- Imbued, charged (with something). The chariot of paternal deity […] / Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed / By four cherubic shapes.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: full, imbued, inherent aptitude, intuition, reflex, insight, sense, idea, guess, premonition, reaction, feeling, instant, gift, donation, touch
Translations
Every language
noun natural or inherent impulse or behaviour
| Español | instinto |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 본능 bonneung |
| 日本語 | 本能 honnō |
| 中文 | 本能 běnnéng, 天性 tiānxìng |
| हिन्दी | फ़ितरत fitrat, वृत्ति vŕtti, प्रवृत्ति pravŕtti, मूल प्रवृत्ति mūl pravŕtti, सहज वृत्ति sahaj vŕtti, सहज प्रवृत्ति sahaj pravŕtti |
| Português | instinto |
| Français | instinct |
| Deutsch | Instinkt |
| Italiano | istinto |
| Ελληνικά | ένστικτο énstikto, ένστιχτο énstichto |
| Română | instinct |
| Русский | инсти́нкт instínkt |
| Tiếng Việt | bản năng |
| العربية | غَرِيزَة ḡarīza, سَلِيقَة salīqa, فِطْرَة fiṭra |
| עברית | אִינְסְטִינְקְט instínkt, יֵצֶר yétser |
noun intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought
| Русский | интуи́ция intuícija |
|---|
Talk about this word "instinct." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/instinct. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. instinct. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/instinct "instinct." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/instinct.Cite this
@misc{instinct_2026,
title = {instinct},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/instinct},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
