Definition of instinct in English:

instinct

noun ˈɪnstɪŋ(k)tˈɪnstɪŋ(k)t

1An innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli.
（动物的）天性，生性；本能
the homing instinct
Example sentencesExamples
- In our seeking of mates and providing for offspring, we are driven by the same instincts as other animals.
- This is a sociable little animal with strong maternal instincts.
- Valentin aims to balance the cubs' need for care and attention with the wild instincts the growing animals need for survival.
- The meaning of human life would be reduced to the physical, base animal instincts, trapped within the contours of the body.
- Nowhere in the wild is the maternal instinct more accessible than on the East African savanna, with its panoply of creatures and its wide vistas.
- Animal instincts and senses proved to be far more effective than any man-made warning system.
- In Madagascar one character, a lion, must rediscover his predatory instincts to stay alive.
- This instinct caused animals to form close-knit, evenly spaced groups, as seen in real mammal herds and fish schools.
- What she found there was the same thing she found in every other vampire's eyes: the cold chill of death and an instinct to kill.
- However high we want to place ourselves up the food chain, it can't hide our animal instincts in everyday situations.
- So you can just allow your male/animal instincts to get the better of you and kill your girlfriend/wife?
- Biologists also are interested in the honey bee's social instincts and behavioral traits.
- It's crazy how when dogs go feral, they re-gain all their lost instincts and behavior patterns.
- But was her affection for him, her obvious attraction to him, based solely upon an instinct to reproduce and justify her feminine role in society?
- We make life manageable by creating social institutions that do for us what instincts do for other animals.
- The wildness of nature feeds our primal needs for extra-sensory stimulation and animal instincts.
- Surely the instincts that help keep animals in the wild from getting pudgy are available to us as well.
- As always, his cognitive thought processes were giving way to baser, animal instincts.
- Trained by himself from a colt, Adam knew he could always rely on him and trust the animal's instincts.
- Even you have to surrender to your animal instincts every once in a while.
Synonyms
urge, appetite, desire, need
1. 1.1 A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking.
  （行为、思想方式）本能
  they retain their old authoritarian instincts
  他们保持着原有的压迫人的本能。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Beware of intuition and gut instincts, they are completely unreliable.
  They have an intrinsic sense of what is right and just-and an intuitive instinct to solve problems fairly.
  How else to explain what seems to be an instinct to judge the moment and react accordingly?
  ‘Within seconds it was becoming darker, blacker and thicker and my instinct warned me that the garage was on fire,’ she said.
  It was an intense time for both of us - but all my instincts warned me away from him.
  Yet my instincts nonetheless warn me against a hasty campaign to adopt such an amendment.
  It is a web of instincts and intuitions, and known and unknown exchanges.
  Her instinct warned her to stay clear of the pope's offer, however transparent its sincerity.
  Even Liberal backbenchers concede that the Prime Minister's first instincts are authoritarian.
  She sees a younger version of herself in Rose, especially the way she relies on her instincts and intuition.
  It deals with the tensions of the 21st century city in the context of these pervading, seductive, Old World instincts.
  I guess if you write stories, it's just an instinct to type at a certain speed.
  He started to stand again, his instincts unable to warn him this time when a voice came out from beside him.
  She could sit down and analyse her instincts and intuitions and decide it is all nonsense.
  We should listen to our own instincts, our own intuitions and our own bodies.
  Your instinct and intuition lead you in a positive direction in personal and professional matters.
  I am one of the great army of black youth of this country who feels with the intuitive instinct of the oppressed, that a crisis is imminent.
  The simplest form of our self-preservation instinct warns us of these possibilities.
  In truth, the gamble in bringing Doyen back against an instinct to keep him for another season never looked like succeeding.
  Instead the old instinct to fix was on clear display, deploying all the time-honoured tricks.
  Synonyms
  natural tendency, inborn tendency, inherent tendency, inclination, inner prompting, urge, drive, compulsion, need
  intuition, natural feeling, sixth sense, second sight, insight, nose
2. 1.2 A natural propensity or skill of a specified kind.
  天性；天赋
  his instinct for making the most of his chances
  他充分利用机会的天赋。
  Example sentencesExamples
  He is a storyteller with an instinct for adventure, humour and darkness and light in the arena of family entertainment rooted in the battle between good and evil.
  It is well accepted that we don't have to train children to do what is wrong - it appears to be a natural instinct for them to do what is wrong.
  As it turns out, having a natural instinct for teaching is sometimes more useful than having real life experience.
  The natural instinct for self enhancement of professional status has led most practitioners to subscribe to organisations overtly raising standards.
  He has a natural instinct for framing an argument.
  He has shown a natural instinct for coaching, slipping into it like a glove.
  That's not patriotism - just the instinct for self preservation.
  ‘You've certainly not got a natural instinct for this,’ he says in his blunt way.
  Calm objectivity combined with idealistic vision results in a genuine interest for scientific ingenuity and a natural instinct for fair-mindedness.
  He went in search of the cause for the feeling, recognizing it for what it was: a natural instinct for when things went wrong.
  For example, I've been in the Marines for over half my life and yet I've retained a preternatural instinct for interior design.
  Is this just a natural instinct for self-promotion, or is something deeper going on.
  The interest in the game arises from a natural instinct for attack and defence.
  Both possess blistering pace and deceptive ball skills, along with an instinct for goals when given half a chance.
  His skills make the link between a strategic overview, an instinct for the telling slogan or soundbite, and an understanding of the nuts and bolts of campaigning.
  But children have a survival instinct for accommodating whatever situation they find themselves in, and even this one begins to normalise around Michele.
  ‘It took years of practice and discipline and a lot of patience for me to develop the instinct for it,’ said Singhania.
  I had a natural instinct for getting around the golf course, but in hockey, I didn't have a vision for the ice.
  She devoured the fashion magazines and seemed to have a natural instinct for spotting a trend before it happened.
  To sympathesize with the poor is a natural instinct for the people.
  Synonyms
  talent, gift, ability, capacity, facility, faculty, aptitude, skill, flair, feel, genius, knack, bent
3. 1.3mass noun The fact or quality of possessing innate behaviour patterns.
  （作为存在的事实或特性）直觉，本能
  instinct told her not to ask the question
  直觉告诉她别问这个问题。
  Example sentencesExamples
  In allowing chance to dictate the making of the image and being totally dependent on instinct, this process becomes interestingly unique.
  Paul Shanley's cutting edge progressivism turns out to have been a high octane return trip back to the world of dumb beasts acting on instinct.
  It's a kind of corporate instinct, I think.
  But his actions on Monday had been purely on instinct.
  But it's always been the one room in the house I avoid by instinct.
  Politicians do this by instinct, particularly when the behaviour they desired is a positive mandate or vote for themselves.
  Every renunciation of instinct now becomes a dynamic source of conscience and every fresh renunciation increases the latter's severity and intolerance.
  I think that the way that I write stories is by instinct.
  When the end came for Wenton it followed Harrison unleashing a flurry of punches which had the Liverpudlian back against the ropes attempting to defend himself on instinct alone.
  I'm used to working with Renu who arrives at a rhythm by instinct, whose first cut is better than most editors' last cut.
  They march, guided by unerring instinct, to a traditional mating ground with ice thick enough that they can raise their young without any worry of predators.
  But the Americans said instinct might take over.
  I think he believes it very deeply, he manages by instinct.
  It was woman's distinctive moral qualities - feeling and instinct - that were thought to dull her abilities to practice science.
  I use semicolons solely on the basis of instinct.
  I suppose it was instinct really that made me hold on to my bag, stupid really, but I wasn't going to let them have it.
  A couple of years ago I rolled up for the annual Remembrance service, where the pews were packed with men who by instinct snapped smartly to attention as the hymns were announced.
  In fact, instinct usually lets you know whether a child is essentially happy with a care arrangement or whether that morning misery will last the rest of the day.
  It wasn't demeaning, or if it was, it hurt him more, as I came off the carnal innocent, surviving only on instinct not knowledge.
  In other words, we possess culture in addition to instinct.

adjective ɪnˈstɪŋ(k)tɪnˈstɪŋkt

instinct withformal

Imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one)
〈正式〉充满（某种品质，尤指好品质）的
these canvases are instinct with passion
这些油画充满了激情。
Example sentencesExamples
- How oft, instinct with warmth divine, thy threshold have I trod!

Origin

Late Middle English (also in the sense 'instigation, impulse'): from Latin instinctus 'impulse', from the verb instinguere, from in- 'towards' + stinguere 'to prick'.

The word instinct is from Latin instinctus ‘impulse’, from the verb instinguere: the base is Latin stinguere ‘to prick’ which gives a core notion of ‘urge’.

Definition of instinct in US English:

instinct

nounˈɪnstɪŋ(k)tˈinstiNG(k)t

1An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.
（动物的）天性，生性；本能
birds have an instinct to build nests
maternal instincts
Example sentencesExamples
- Trained by himself from a colt, Adam knew he could always rely on him and trust the animal's instincts.
- It's crazy how when dogs go feral, they re-gain all their lost instincts and behavior patterns.
- In Madagascar one character, a lion, must rediscover his predatory instincts to stay alive.
- This instinct caused animals to form close-knit, evenly spaced groups, as seen in real mammal herds and fish schools.
- As always, his cognitive thought processes were giving way to baser, animal instincts.
- The meaning of human life would be reduced to the physical, base animal instincts, trapped within the contours of the body.
- Biologists also are interested in the honey bee's social instincts and behavioral traits.
- The wildness of nature feeds our primal needs for extra-sensory stimulation and animal instincts.
- Surely the instincts that help keep animals in the wild from getting pudgy are available to us as well.
- Valentin aims to balance the cubs' need for care and attention with the wild instincts the growing animals need for survival.
- In our seeking of mates and providing for offspring, we are driven by the same instincts as other animals.
- However high we want to place ourselves up the food chain, it can't hide our animal instincts in everyday situations.
- But was her affection for him, her obvious attraction to him, based solely upon an instinct to reproduce and justify her feminine role in society?
- So you can just allow your male/animal instincts to get the better of you and kill your girlfriend/wife?
- Nowhere in the wild is the maternal instinct more accessible than on the East African savanna, with its panoply of creatures and its wide vistas.
- Even you have to surrender to your animal instincts every once in a while.
- What she found there was the same thing she found in every other vampire's eyes: the cold chill of death and an instinct to kill.
- This is a sociable little animal with strong maternal instincts.
- We make life manageable by creating social institutions that do for us what instincts do for other animals.
- Animal instincts and senses proved to be far more effective than any man-made warning system.
Synonyms
urge, appetite, desire, need
1. 1.1 A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking.
  （行为、思想方式）本能
  they retain their old authoritarian instincts
  他们保持着原有的压迫人的本能。
  Example sentencesExamples
  We should listen to our own instincts, our own intuitions and our own bodies.
  In truth, the gamble in bringing Doyen back against an instinct to keep him for another season never looked like succeeding.
  Yet my instincts nonetheless warn me against a hasty campaign to adopt such an amendment.
  Even Liberal backbenchers concede that the Prime Minister's first instincts are authoritarian.
  Your instinct and intuition lead you in a positive direction in personal and professional matters.
  It was an intense time for both of us - but all my instincts warned me away from him.
  She could sit down and analyse her instincts and intuitions and decide it is all nonsense.
  I guess if you write stories, it's just an instinct to type at a certain speed.
  Instead the old instinct to fix was on clear display, deploying all the time-honoured tricks.
  It deals with the tensions of the 21st century city in the context of these pervading, seductive, Old World instincts.
  They have an intrinsic sense of what is right and just-and an intuitive instinct to solve problems fairly.
  Beware of intuition and gut instincts, they are completely unreliable.
  It is a web of instincts and intuitions, and known and unknown exchanges.
  How else to explain what seems to be an instinct to judge the moment and react accordingly?
  She sees a younger version of herself in Rose, especially the way she relies on her instincts and intuition.
  ‘Within seconds it was becoming darker, blacker and thicker and my instinct warned me that the garage was on fire,’ she said.
  Her instinct warned her to stay clear of the pope's offer, however transparent its sincerity.
  The simplest form of our self-preservation instinct warns us of these possibilities.
  He started to stand again, his instincts unable to warn him this time when a voice came out from beside him.
  I am one of the great army of black youth of this country who feels with the intuitive instinct of the oppressed, that a crisis is imminent.
  Synonyms
  natural tendency, inborn tendency, inherent tendency, inclination, inner prompting, urge, drive, compulsion, need
2. 1.2 A natural propensity or skill of a specified kind.
  天性；天赋
  his instinct for making the most of his chances
  他充分利用机会的天赋。
  Example sentencesExamples
  As it turns out, having a natural instinct for teaching is sometimes more useful than having real life experience.
  The natural instinct for self enhancement of professional status has led most practitioners to subscribe to organisations overtly raising standards.
  To sympathesize with the poor is a natural instinct for the people.
  But children have a survival instinct for accommodating whatever situation they find themselves in, and even this one begins to normalise around Michele.
  The interest in the game arises from a natural instinct for attack and defence.
  Is this just a natural instinct for self-promotion, or is something deeper going on.
  It is well accepted that we don't have to train children to do what is wrong - it appears to be a natural instinct for them to do what is wrong.
  He is a storyteller with an instinct for adventure, humour and darkness and light in the arena of family entertainment rooted in the battle between good and evil.
  ‘You've certainly not got a natural instinct for this,’ he says in his blunt way.
  Both possess blistering pace and deceptive ball skills, along with an instinct for goals when given half a chance.
  He went in search of the cause for the feeling, recognizing it for what it was: a natural instinct for when things went wrong.
  For example, I've been in the Marines for over half my life and yet I've retained a preternatural instinct for interior design.
  I had a natural instinct for getting around the golf course, but in hockey, I didn't have a vision for the ice.
  Calm objectivity combined with idealistic vision results in a genuine interest for scientific ingenuity and a natural instinct for fair-mindedness.
  ‘It took years of practice and discipline and a lot of patience for me to develop the instinct for it,’ said Singhania.
  That's not patriotism - just the instinct for self preservation.
  His skills make the link between a strategic overview, an instinct for the telling slogan or soundbite, and an understanding of the nuts and bolts of campaigning.
  She devoured the fashion magazines and seemed to have a natural instinct for spotting a trend before it happened.
  He has a natural instinct for framing an argument.
  He has shown a natural instinct for coaching, slipping into it like a glove.
  Synonyms
  talent, gift, ability, capacity, facility, faculty, aptitude, skill, flair, feel, genius, knack, bent
3. 1.3 The fact or quality of possessing innate behavior patterns.
  （作为存在的事实或特性）直觉，本能
  instinct told her not to ask the question
  直觉告诉她别问这个问题。
  Example sentencesExamples
  When the end came for Wenton it followed Harrison unleashing a flurry of punches which had the Liverpudlian back against the ropes attempting to defend himself on instinct alone.
  I think that the way that I write stories is by instinct.
  In fact, instinct usually lets you know whether a child is essentially happy with a care arrangement or whether that morning misery will last the rest of the day.
  Every renunciation of instinct now becomes a dynamic source of conscience and every fresh renunciation increases the latter's severity and intolerance.
  I suppose it was instinct really that made me hold on to my bag, stupid really, but I wasn't going to let them have it.
  In other words, we possess culture in addition to instinct.
  But it's always been the one room in the house I avoid by instinct.
  It was woman's distinctive moral qualities - feeling and instinct - that were thought to dull her abilities to practice science.
  I use semicolons solely on the basis of instinct.
  It's a kind of corporate instinct, I think.
  I'm used to working with Renu who arrives at a rhythm by instinct, whose first cut is better than most editors' last cut.
  Politicians do this by instinct, particularly when the behaviour they desired is a positive mandate or vote for themselves.
  But his actions on Monday had been purely on instinct.
  A couple of years ago I rolled up for the annual Remembrance service, where the pews were packed with men who by instinct snapped smartly to attention as the hymns were announced.
  They march, guided by unerring instinct, to a traditional mating ground with ice thick enough that they can raise their young without any worry of predators.
  Paul Shanley's cutting edge progressivism turns out to have been a high octane return trip back to the world of dumb beasts acting on instinct.
  It wasn't demeaning, or if it was, it hurt him more, as I came off the carnal innocent, surviving only on instinct not knowledge.
  But the Americans said instinct might take over.
  I think he believes it very deeply, he manages by instinct.
  In allowing chance to dictate the making of the image and being totally dependent on instinct, this process becomes interestingly unique.

adjectiveɪnˈstɪŋktinˈstiNGkt

instinct withformal

predicative Imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one)
〈正式〉充满（某种品质，尤指好品质）的
these canvases are instinct with passion
这些油画充满了激情。
Example sentencesExamples
- How oft, instinct with warmth divine, thy threshold have I trod!

Origin

Late Middle English (also in the sense ‘instigation, impulse’): from Latin instinctus ‘impulse’, from the verb instinguere, from in- ‘towards’ + stinguere ‘to prick’.

单词	instinct
释义	Definition of instinct in English: instinct noun ˈɪnstɪŋ(k)tˈɪnstɪŋ(k)t 1An innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli. （动物的）天性，生性；本能 the homing instinct Example sentencesExamples In our seeking of mates and providing for offspring, we are driven by the same instincts as other animals. This is a sociable little animal with strong maternal instincts. Valentin aims to balance the cubs' need for care and attention with the wild instincts the growing animals need for survival. The meaning of human life would be reduced to the physical, base animal instincts, trapped within the contours of the body. Nowhere in the wild is the maternal instinct more accessible than on the East African savanna, with its panoply of creatures and its wide vistas. Animal instincts and senses proved to be far more effective than any man-made warning system. In Madagascar one character, a lion, must rediscover his predatory instincts to stay alive. This instinct caused animals to form close-knit, evenly spaced groups, as seen in real mammal herds and fish schools. What she found there was the same thing she found in every other vampire's eyes: the cold chill of death and an instinct to kill. However high we want to place ourselves up the food chain, it can't hide our animal instincts in everyday situations. So you can just allow your male/animal instincts to get the better of you and kill your girlfriend/wife? Biologists also are interested in the honey bee's social instincts and behavioral traits. It's crazy how when dogs go feral, they re-gain all their lost instincts and behavior patterns. But was her affection for him, her obvious attraction to him, based solely upon an instinct to reproduce and justify her feminine role in society? We make life manageable by creating social institutions that do for us what instincts do for other animals. The wildness of nature feeds our primal needs for extra-sensory stimulation and animal instincts. Surely the instincts that help keep animals in the wild from getting pudgy are available to us as well. As always, his cognitive thought processes were giving way to baser, animal instincts. Trained by himself from a colt, Adam knew he could always rely on him and trust the animal's instincts. Even you have to surrender to your animal instincts every once in a while. Synonyms urge, appetite, desire, need 1.1 A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking. （行为、思想方式）本能 they retain their old authoritarian instincts 他们保持着原有的压迫人的本能。 Example sentencesExamples Beware of intuition and gut instincts, they are completely unreliable. They have an intrinsic sense of what is right and just-and an intuitive instinct to solve problems fairly. How else to explain what seems to be an instinct to judge the moment and react accordingly? ‘Within seconds it was becoming darker, blacker and thicker and my instinct warned me that the garage was on fire,’ she said. It was an intense time for both of us - but all my instincts warned me away from him. Yet my instincts nonetheless warn me against a hasty campaign to adopt such an amendment. It is a web of instincts and intuitions, and known and unknown exchanges. Her instinct warned her to stay clear of the pope's offer, however transparent its sincerity. Even Liberal backbenchers concede that the Prime Minister's first instincts are authoritarian. She sees a younger version of herself in Rose, especially the way she relies on her instincts and intuition. It deals with the tensions of the 21st century city in the context of these pervading, seductive, Old World instincts. I guess if you write stories, it's just an instinct to type at a certain speed. He started to stand again, his instincts unable to warn him this time when a voice came out from beside him. She could sit down and analyse her instincts and intuitions and decide it is all nonsense. We should listen to our own instincts, our own intuitions and our own bodies. Your instinct and intuition lead you in a positive direction in personal and professional matters. I am one of the great army of black youth of this country who feels with the intuitive instinct of the oppressed, that a crisis is imminent. The simplest form of our self-preservation instinct warns us of these possibilities. In truth, the gamble in bringing Doyen back against an instinct to keep him for another season never looked like succeeding. Instead the old instinct to fix was on clear display, deploying all the time-honoured tricks. Synonyms natural tendency, inborn tendency, inherent tendency, inclination, inner prompting, urge, drive, compulsion, need intuition, natural feeling, sixth sense, second sight, insight, nose 1.2 A natural propensity or skill of a specified kind. 天性；天赋 his instinct for making the most of his chances 他充分利用机会的天赋。 Example sentencesExamples He is a storyteller with an instinct for adventure, humour and darkness and light in the arena of family entertainment rooted in the battle between good and evil. It is well accepted that we don't have to train children to do what is wrong - it appears to be a natural instinct for them to do what is wrong. As it turns out, having a natural instinct for teaching is sometimes more useful than having real life experience. The natural instinct for self enhancement of professional status has led most practitioners to subscribe to organisations overtly raising standards. He has a natural instinct for framing an argument. He has shown a natural instinct for coaching, slipping into it like a glove. That's not patriotism - just the instinct for self preservation. ‘You've certainly not got a natural instinct for this,’ he says in his blunt way. Calm objectivity combined with idealistic vision results in a genuine interest for scientific ingenuity and a natural instinct for fair-mindedness. He went in search of the cause for the feeling, recognizing it for what it was: a natural instinct for when things went wrong. For example, I've been in the Marines for over half my life and yet I've retained a preternatural instinct for interior design. Is this just a natural instinct for self-promotion, or is something deeper going on. The interest in the game arises from a natural instinct for attack and defence. Both possess blistering pace and deceptive ball skills, along with an instinct for goals when given half a chance. His skills make the link between a strategic overview, an instinct for the telling slogan or soundbite, and an understanding of the nuts and bolts of campaigning. But children have a survival instinct for accommodating whatever situation they find themselves in, and even this one begins to normalise around Michele. ‘It took years of practice and discipline and a lot of patience for me to develop the instinct for it,’ said Singhania. I had a natural instinct for getting around the golf course, but in hockey, I didn't have a vision for the ice. She devoured the fashion magazines and seemed to have a natural instinct for spotting a trend before it happened. To sympathesize with the poor is a natural instinct for the people. Synonyms talent, gift, ability, capacity, facility, faculty, aptitude, skill, flair, feel, genius, knack, bent 1.3mass noun The fact or quality of possessing innate behaviour patterns. （作为存在的事实或特性）直觉，本能 instinct told her not to ask the question 直觉告诉她别问这个问题。 Example sentencesExamples In allowing chance to dictate the making of the image and being totally dependent on instinct, this process becomes interestingly unique. Paul Shanley's cutting edge progressivism turns out to have been a high octane return trip back to the world of dumb beasts acting on instinct. It's a kind of corporate instinct, I think. But his actions on Monday had been purely on instinct. But it's always been the one room in the house I avoid by instinct. Politicians do this by instinct, particularly when the behaviour they desired is a positive mandate or vote for themselves. Every renunciation of instinct now becomes a dynamic source of conscience and every fresh renunciation increases the latter's severity and intolerance. I think that the way that I write stories is by instinct. When the end came for Wenton it followed Harrison unleashing a flurry of punches which had the Liverpudlian back against the ropes attempting to defend himself on instinct alone. I'm used to working with Renu who arrives at a rhythm by instinct, whose first cut is better than most editors' last cut. They march, guided by unerring instinct, to a traditional mating ground with ice thick enough that they can raise their young without any worry of predators. But the Americans said instinct might take over. I think he believes it very deeply, he manages by instinct. It was woman's distinctive moral qualities - feeling and instinct - that were thought to dull her abilities to practice science. I use semicolons solely on the basis of instinct. I suppose it was instinct really that made me hold on to my bag, stupid really, but I wasn't going to let them have it. A couple of years ago I rolled up for the annual Remembrance service, where the pews were packed with men who by instinct snapped smartly to attention as the hymns were announced. In fact, instinct usually lets you know whether a child is essentially happy with a care arrangement or whether that morning misery will last the rest of the day. It wasn't demeaning, or if it was, it hurt him more, as I came off the carnal innocent, surviving only on instinct not knowledge. In other words, we possess culture in addition to instinct. adjective ɪnˈstɪŋ(k)tɪnˈstɪŋkt instinct withformal Imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one) 〈正式〉充满（某种品质，尤指好品质）的 these canvases are instinct with passion 这些油画充满了激情。 Example sentencesExamples How oft, instinct with warmth divine, thy threshold have I trod! Origin Late Middle English (also in the sense 'instigation, impulse'): from Latin instinctus 'impulse', from the verb instinguere, from in- 'towards' + stinguere 'to prick'. The word instinct is from Latin instinctus ‘impulse’, from the verb instinguere: the base is Latin stinguere ‘to prick’ which gives a core notion of ‘urge’. Definition of instinct in US English: instinct nounˈɪnstɪŋ(k)tˈinstiNG(k)t 1An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli. （动物的）天性，生性；本能 birds have an instinct to build nests maternal instincts Example sentencesExamples Trained by himself from a colt, Adam knew he could always rely on him and trust the animal's instincts. It's crazy how when dogs go feral, they re-gain all their lost instincts and behavior patterns. In Madagascar one character, a lion, must rediscover his predatory instincts to stay alive. This instinct caused animals to form close-knit, evenly spaced groups, as seen in real mammal herds and fish schools. As always, his cognitive thought processes were giving way to baser, animal instincts. The meaning of human life would be reduced to the physical, base animal instincts, trapped within the contours of the body. Biologists also are interested in the honey bee's social instincts and behavioral traits. The wildness of nature feeds our primal needs for extra-sensory stimulation and animal instincts. Surely the instincts that help keep animals in the wild from getting pudgy are available to us as well. Valentin aims to balance the cubs' need for care and attention with the wild instincts the growing animals need for survival. In our seeking of mates and providing for offspring, we are driven by the same instincts as other animals. However high we want to place ourselves up the food chain, it can't hide our animal instincts in everyday situations. But was her affection for him, her obvious attraction to him, based solely upon an instinct to reproduce and justify her feminine role in society? So you can just allow your male/animal instincts to get the better of you and kill your girlfriend/wife? Nowhere in the wild is the maternal instinct more accessible than on the East African savanna, with its panoply of creatures and its wide vistas. Even you have to surrender to your animal instincts every once in a while. What she found there was the same thing she found in every other vampire's eyes: the cold chill of death and an instinct to kill. This is a sociable little animal with strong maternal instincts. We make life manageable by creating social institutions that do for us what instincts do for other animals. Animal instincts and senses proved to be far more effective than any man-made warning system. Synonyms urge, appetite, desire, need 1.1 A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking. （行为、思想方式）本能 they retain their old authoritarian instincts 他们保持着原有的压迫人的本能。 Example sentencesExamples We should listen to our own instincts, our own intuitions and our own bodies. In truth, the gamble in bringing Doyen back against an instinct to keep him for another season never looked like succeeding. Yet my instincts nonetheless warn me against a hasty campaign to adopt such an amendment. Even Liberal backbenchers concede that the Prime Minister's first instincts are authoritarian. Your instinct and intuition lead you in a positive direction in personal and professional matters. It was an intense time for both of us - but all my instincts warned me away from him. She could sit down and analyse her instincts and intuitions and decide it is all nonsense. I guess if you write stories, it's just an instinct to type at a certain speed. Instead the old instinct to fix was on clear display, deploying all the time-honoured tricks. It deals with the tensions of the 21st century city in the context of these pervading, seductive, Old World instincts. They have an intrinsic sense of what is right and just-and an intuitive instinct to solve problems fairly. Beware of intuition and gut instincts, they are completely unreliable. It is a web of instincts and intuitions, and known and unknown exchanges. How else to explain what seems to be an instinct to judge the moment and react accordingly? She sees a younger version of herself in Rose, especially the way she relies on her instincts and intuition. ‘Within seconds it was becoming darker, blacker and thicker and my instinct warned me that the garage was on fire,’ she said. Her instinct warned her to stay clear of the pope's offer, however transparent its sincerity. The simplest form of our self-preservation instinct warns us of these possibilities. He started to stand again, his instincts unable to warn him this time when a voice came out from beside him. I am one of the great army of black youth of this country who feels with the intuitive instinct of the oppressed, that a crisis is imminent. Synonyms natural tendency, inborn tendency, inherent tendency, inclination, inner prompting, urge, drive, compulsion, need 1.2 A natural propensity or skill of a specified kind. 天性；天赋 his instinct for making the most of his chances 他充分利用机会的天赋。 Example sentencesExamples As it turns out, having a natural instinct for teaching is sometimes more useful than having real life experience. The natural instinct for self enhancement of professional status has led most practitioners to subscribe to organisations overtly raising standards. To sympathesize with the poor is a natural instinct for the people. But children have a survival instinct for accommodating whatever situation they find themselves in, and even this one begins to normalise around Michele. The interest in the game arises from a natural instinct for attack and defence. Is this just a natural instinct for self-promotion, or is something deeper going on. It is well accepted that we don't have to train children to do what is wrong - it appears to be a natural instinct for them to do what is wrong. He is a storyteller with an instinct for adventure, humour and darkness and light in the arena of family entertainment rooted in the battle between good and evil. ‘You've certainly not got a natural instinct for this,’ he says in his blunt way. Both possess blistering pace and deceptive ball skills, along with an instinct for goals when given half a chance. He went in search of the cause for the feeling, recognizing it for what it was: a natural instinct for when things went wrong. For example, I've been in the Marines for over half my life and yet I've retained a preternatural instinct for interior design. I had a natural instinct for getting around the golf course, but in hockey, I didn't have a vision for the ice. Calm objectivity combined with idealistic vision results in a genuine interest for scientific ingenuity and a natural instinct for fair-mindedness. ‘It took years of practice and discipline and a lot of patience for me to develop the instinct for it,’ said Singhania. That's not patriotism - just the instinct for self preservation. His skills make the link between a strategic overview, an instinct for the telling slogan or soundbite, and an understanding of the nuts and bolts of campaigning. She devoured the fashion magazines and seemed to have a natural instinct for spotting a trend before it happened. He has a natural instinct for framing an argument. He has shown a natural instinct for coaching, slipping into it like a glove. Synonyms talent, gift, ability, capacity, facility, faculty, aptitude, skill, flair, feel, genius, knack, bent 1.3 The fact or quality of possessing innate behavior patterns. （作为存在的事实或特性）直觉，本能 instinct told her not to ask the question 直觉告诉她别问这个问题。 Example sentencesExamples When the end came for Wenton it followed Harrison unleashing a flurry of punches which had the Liverpudlian back against the ropes attempting to defend himself on instinct alone. I think that the way that I write stories is by instinct. In fact, instinct usually lets you know whether a child is essentially happy with a care arrangement or whether that morning misery will last the rest of the day. Every renunciation of instinct now becomes a dynamic source of conscience and every fresh renunciation increases the latter's severity and intolerance. I suppose it was instinct really that made me hold on to my bag, stupid really, but I wasn't going to let them have it. In other words, we possess culture in addition to instinct. But it's always been the one room in the house I avoid by instinct. It was woman's distinctive moral qualities - feeling and instinct - that were thought to dull her abilities to practice science. I use semicolons solely on the basis of instinct. It's a kind of corporate instinct, I think. I'm used to working with Renu who arrives at a rhythm by instinct, whose first cut is better than most editors' last cut. Politicians do this by instinct, particularly when the behaviour they desired is a positive mandate or vote for themselves. But his actions on Monday had been purely on instinct. A couple of years ago I rolled up for the annual Remembrance service, where the pews were packed with men who by instinct snapped smartly to attention as the hymns were announced. They march, guided by unerring instinct, to a traditional mating ground with ice thick enough that they can raise their young without any worry of predators. Paul Shanley's cutting edge progressivism turns out to have been a high octane return trip back to the world of dumb beasts acting on instinct. It wasn't demeaning, or if it was, it hurt him more, as I came off the carnal innocent, surviving only on instinct not knowledge. But the Americans said instinct might take over. I think he believes it very deeply, he manages by instinct. In allowing chance to dictate the making of the image and being totally dependent on instinct, this process becomes interestingly unique. adjectiveɪnˈstɪŋktinˈstiNGkt instinct withformal predicative Imbued or filled with (a quality, especially a desirable one) 〈正式〉充满（某种品质，尤指好品质）的 these canvases are instinct with passion 这些油画充满了激情。 Example sentencesExamples How oft, instinct with warmth divine, thy threshold have I trod! Origin Late Middle English (also in the sense ‘instigation, impulse’): from Latin instinctus ‘impulse’, from the verb instinguere, from in- ‘towards’ + stinguere ‘to prick’.
随便看	scrutineer scrutineers scrutinies scrutinisation scrutinise scrutinised scrutiniser scrutinisers scrutinises scrutinising scrutinization scrutinization scrutinize scrutinized scrutinizer scrutinizer scrutinizes scrutinizing scrutiny scry scryer scryer scrying scs SCSI