instinct
A natural feeling that makes you act without thinking.
instinct in a sentence
- Some instinct told the deer to bolt a second before the wolf sprang.
- By instinct, the newly hatched turtles crawled straight towards the sea without being shown.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to instinct?
- Aimpulse
- Blogic
- Creason
Show the answer
A: impulse. The other three mean the opposite of instinct.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to instinct?
- Aurge
- Bimpulse
- Creason
- Dintuition
Show the answer
C: reason. The other three mean nearly the same as instinct.
Words that mean something similar
impulse, intuition, urge
Words that mean the opposite
reason, logic
More words about thinking & learning
- intangible: Not able to be touched or held, but still real.
- interpret: To work out what something means.
- intrigue: To make someone very curious and interested.
- invalid: Not accepted as correct or official, usually because it breaks a rule.
- jinx: Something believed to bring bad luck.
- judicious: Showing good sense and careful judgement.
- justify: To give a good reason for something you have done.
- knack: A clever skill for doing something easily.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test