instinct (redirected from life instinct)

in·stinct  (nstngkt)

n.

1. An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli: the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals.

2. A powerful motivation or impulse.

3. An innate capability or aptitude: an instinct for tact and diplomacy.

adj. (n-stngkt)

1. Deeply filled or imbued: words instinct with love.

2. Obsolete Impelled from within.

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[Middle English, from Latin nstnctus, impulse, from past participle of nstinguere, to incite : in-, intensive pref.; see in-² + stinguere, to prick; see steig- in Indo-European roots.]

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instinct

Noun

1. the inborn tendency to behave in a particular way without the need for thought: maternal instinct

2. natural reaction: my first instinct was to get out of the car

3. intuition: Mr Barr's mother said she knew by instinct that her son was safe [Latin instinctus roused]

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instinct  (nstngkt)

An inherited tendency of an organism to behave in a certain way, usually in reaction to its environment and for the purpose of fulfilling a specific need. The development and performance of instinctive behavior does not depend upon the specific details of an individual's learning experiences. Instead, instinctive behavior develops in the same way for all individuals of the same species or of the same sex of a species. For example, birds will build the form of nest typical of their species although they may never have seen such a nest being built before. Some butterfly species undertake long migrations to wintering grounds that they have never seen. Behavior in animals often reflects the influence of a combination of instinct and learning. The basic song pattern of many bird species is inherited, but it is often refined by learning from other members of the species. Dogs that naturally seek to gather animals such as sheep or cattle into a group are said to have a herding instinct, but the effective use of this instinct by the dog also requires learning on the dog's part. Instinct, as opposed to reflex, is usually used of inherited behavior patterns that are more complex or sometimes involve a degree of interaction with learning processes.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	instinct - inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli; "the spawning instinct in salmon"; "altruistic instincts in social animals" inherent aptitude id - (psychoanalysis) primitive instincts and energies underlying all psychic activity aptitude - inherent ability
Adj.	1.	instinct - (followed by `with')deeply filled or permeated; "imbued with the spirit of the Reformation"; "words instinct with love"; "it is replete with misery" replete full - containing as much or as many as is possible or normal; "a full glass"; "a sky full of stars"; "a full life"; "the auditorium was full to overflowing"

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instinct

noun 1. natural inclination, feeling, urge, talent, tendency, faculty, inclination, intuition, knack, aptitude, predisposition, sixth sense, proclivity, gut reaction (informal) second sight

noun 2. talent, skill, gift, capacity, bent, genius, faculty, knack, aptitude

noun 3. intuition, feeling, impulse, gut feeling (informal) sixth sense

Translations

instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt] n → instinto

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instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt] n → instinct m

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instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt] n → Instinkt m;

(reaction, inclination) → instinktive Reaktion f

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instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt] n → istinto