Example
Part of speech: noun
Definition: Something that is representative of all such things in a group. Something that serves to illustrate or explain a rule. Something that serves as a pattern of behaviour to be imitated (a good example) or not to be imitated (a bad example). A person punished as a warning to others. A parallel or closely similar case, especially when serving as a precedent or model. An instance (as a problem to be solved) serving to illustrate the rule or precept or to act as an exercise in the application of the rule.
Example sentence: Humans have an amazing capacity to believe in contradictory things. For example, to believe in an omnipotent and benevolent God but somehow excuse Him from all the suffering in the world. Or our ability to believe from the standpoint of law that humans are equal and have free will and from biology that humans are just organic machines.
Instance
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A happening or occurring; an occurrence; an occasion.A case occurring; a case offered as an exemplification or a precedent; an example; a token.A piece of evidence; proof.In object-oriented programming: a created object, one that has had memory allocated for local data storage; an instantiation of a class
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To mention as a case or example; to refer to; to cite; as, to instance a fact.To cite an example as proof; to exemplify.
Example sentence: The history of progress is written in the blood of men and women who have dared to espouse an unpopular cause, as, for instance, the black man's right to his body, or woman's right to her soul.