instinct

instinct

Tendance ou comportement naturel présent dès la naissance, sans apprentissage.

En anglais simple : A natural feeling or behavior that you are born with rather than learn.

• Birds build nests by instinct.
• Her protective instinct made her reach for the child.
• The animal’s survival instinct kept it moving despite its injuries.

Synonymes : drive, impulse

Expressions courantes : survival instinct, maternal instinct, natural instinct

intuition, instinct

Sentiment qui indique quoi faire ou croire sans avoir à réfléchir longuement.

En anglais simple : A feeling that tells you what to do or believe without carefully thinking about it.

• My instinct told me to wait.
• He trusted his instinct and turned back.
• Do you have an instinct for choosing the right moment?

Comment l'utiliser : instinct for something (She has an instinct for finding good stories.); instinct to do something (My first instinct was to call for help.)

Synonymes : intuition, gut feeling, hunch

Expressions courantes : trust your instinct, first instinct, instinct for something