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Primal vs Instinct - What's the difference?

primal | instinct |

As adjectives the difference between primal and instinct

is that primal is being the first in time, or history while instinct is imbued, charged ({{term|with}} something).

As a noun instinct is

a natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.

primal

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Being the first in time, or history.
  • primal man
  • Being of greatest importance; primary.
  • (meat trade) Being one of the pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass during butchering, prior to division into smaller cuts.
  • Synonyms

    * (first in time or history ): aboriginal, primaeval/primeval, primordial * (being of greatest importance ): primary

    Derived terms

    * primal therapist * primal therapy * primality * primally

    instinct

    Noun

  • A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.
  • Many animals fear fire by instinct .
  • * Shakespeare
  • By a divine instinct , men's minds mistrust / Ensuing dangers.
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1921 , title= , author=Bertrand Russell , passage=In spite of these qualifications, the broad distinction between instinct and habit is undeniable. To take extreme cases, every animal at birth can take food by instinct, before it has had opportunity to learn; on the other hand, no one can ride a bicycle by instinct, though, after learning, the necessary movements become just as automatic as if they were instinctive.}}
  • An intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought.
  • an instinct''' for order; to be modest by '''instinct
    Debbie's instinct was to distrust John.

    Derived terms

    * instinctively * instinctive

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (archaic) Imbued, charged ((with) something).
  • * Milton
  • The chariot of paternal deity / Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed / By four cherubic shapes.
  • * Brougham
  • a noble performance, instinct with sound principle
  • * 1928 , (HP Lovecraft), ‘The Call of Cthulhu’:
  • This thing, which seemed instinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence, and squatted evilly on a rectangular block or pedestal covered with undecipherable characters.