Instinct Meaning
/ˈɪn.stɪŋkt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.
nounAn intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought.
Sentence Examples
In making a decision, I rely not on logic but on instinct.
It cannot plausibly be argued that behaviour of such complexity derives entirely from instinct.
The instinct for survival is inherent in every living thing.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Migrating birds follow a natural ____ that guides them thousands of miles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Birds have an amazing ____ that allows them to migrate over thousands of miles without getting lost.
Word Origin & History
From Latin īnstīnctus, past participle of īnstinguō (“to incite, to instigate”), from in (“in, on”) + stinguō (“to prick”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust / Ensuing dangers."
— c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
"In spite of these qualifications, the broad distinction between instinct and habit is undeniable. To take extreme cases, every animal at birth can take food by instinct, before it has had opportunity to learn; on the other hand, no one can ride a bicycle by instinct, though, after learning, the necessary movements become just as automatic as if they were instinctive."
— 1921, Bertrand Russell, The Analysis of Mind:
"The chariot of paternal deity […] / Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed / By four cherubic shapes."
— 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
"a noble performance, instinct with sound principle"
— 1838, Henry Brougham, Historical Sketches of Statesmen Who Flourished in the Time of George III:
"Her eyes, whose colour I had not at first known, so dim were they with repressed tears, so shadowed with ceaseless dejection, now, lit by a ray of the sunshine that cheered her heart, revealed irids of bright hazel – irids large and full, screened with long lashes; and pupils instinct with fire."
— 1857, Charlotte Brontë, The Professor:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Migrating birds follow a natural ____ that guides them thousands of miles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Birds have an amazing ____ that allows them to migrate over thousands of miles without getting lost.