Thesaurus results for INSTINCTS

instincts

noun

plural of instinct

as in tendencies

a usually innate ability or desire to perform a specific activity Pouncing on mice is a cat's natural instinct. We needed all of our survival instincts to make it through the weeks lost at sea.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of instincts His early competitive instincts were honed in battles with his equally intense father. — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 There, the nationalist instincts driving Rubio’s speech found more vociferous expression. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 Armstrong also followed his instincts and focused on theme instead of maximum drama. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Shelley also worries that outsourcing to AI blunts a leader’s instincts. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 While that went against the team's competitive instincts, Red Bull followed the advice, and Verstappen subsequently overtook his rival, Harington said. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 Still, Mercury in your sign simultaneously sharpens your instincts while also fueling your anxiety, and just as Saturn retrograde challenges you to question whether your routines and habits are actually serving you. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2026 Headlining the show is the eccentric sheriff Kalmann, who uses unique instincts to solve murders. — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026 Given Lorre, Molaro and Holland’s success with The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, CBS trusted their creative instincts and had faith in a potential spin-off. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for instincts

Noun

Throughout the panel, the cast was playful and self-aware about the show’s gonzo tendencies, especially 13 seasons in.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
At Community Table, executive chef Marcell Davidsen brings an understated Nordic sensibility to the area’s locavore tendencies.

— Christina Pérez, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of tendencies

Noun

Rather than exclusively focusing on what’s wrong with our mental health, one approach is to develop skills, traits, and perspectives that can help us.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Eight finalists will compete in a series of challenges inspired by the skills required to make each and every order.

— Mya Copeland, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of skills

Noun

And a lot of the time, people who have these kinds of inclinations towards children are people who were children who were abused themselves.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
The trustees feared that if something happened to him, his heir apparent, Robert Kahn, would replace him, and it was known that Kahn had Zionistic inclinations.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of inclinations

Noun

From here on out, the authorship of Tae-ju’s life is ambiguous, as well as constantly in flux, buffeted by the whims and suggestions of others, as well as by her own impulses.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the five members of Gash have been following their own spontaneous creative impulses for years.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of impulses

Noun

Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from other men.

— Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Earlier this year, Harrison Street sold a 12-property student housing portfolio for $910 million, one of the largest dispositions in the sector in recent years.

— Diana Olick, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of dispositions

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instinctively

instincts

instinctual

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“Instincts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instincts. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of instincts

noun

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