instinct
Other forms: instincts
An instinct is something you don't need to learn — it happens naturally, without you even thinking about it. Babies cry by instinct, and ducks follow their mother by instinct.
Animals and humans learn a lot of things from other animals and humans. But if there isn't any learning involved, then the behavior is an instinct. Instincts come naturally, like a baby's desire to feed. Some behaviors are a combination of instinct and learned behavior, like language. Others happen without any teaching at all, like the instinct to run when you see a big, hungry looking bear. When you see the word instinct, think natural response.
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inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli“the spawning instinct in salmon”“altruistic instincts in social animals”
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synonyms:
inherent aptitude
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(followed by `with')deeply filled or permeated
Vocabulary lists containing instinct
Called many names by different people, a border collie longs for a loving home where he can herd sheep.
After being abandoned at a campsite in Maine, eleven-year-old Jack tries to make his way back home to Boston.
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