Instinct has 4 different meanings across 2 categories:
Noun
· Adjective
Noun
1
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
"the spawning instinct in salmon"
"altruistic instincts in social animals"
2
A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.
"The mother bird immediately took flight at the slightest rustle, driven by pure instinct to protect her eggs."
Adjective
1
(followed by `with') deeply filled or permeated
"imbued with the spirit of the Reformation"
"words instinct with love"
"it is replete with misery"
2
Imbued, charged (with something).
"The room was instinct with a palpable sense of dread as the storm clouds gathered overhead."
Example Sentences
"the spawning instinct in salmon"
noun
"altruistic instincts in social animals"
noun
"imbued with the spirit of the Reformation"
adjective
"words instinct with love"
adjective
"it is replete with misery"
adjective
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)