- (a.) Urged or stimulated from within; naturally moved or impelled; imbued; animated; alive; quick; as, birds instinct with life.
- (a.) A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct.
- (a.) Natural inward impulse; unconscious, involuntary or unreasoning prompting to any mode of action, whether bodily or mental, without a distinct apprehension of the end or object to be accomplished.
- (a.) Specif., the natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without of improvement in the method.
- (v.t.) To impress, as an animating power or instinct.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). instinct. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/instinct/definitions/2022310 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "instinct" http://smartdefine.org/instinct/definitions/2022310 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, instinct, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/instinct/definitions/2022310>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "instinct" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/instinct/definitions/2022310> |