instinctive

[in-stingk-tiv] / ɪnˈstɪŋk tɪv /

ADJECTIVE

reflex, automatic

Synonyms

STRONGEST

impulsive ingrained inherent innate intuitive natural spontaneous visceral

WEAK

accustomed by seat of one's pants congenital habitual inborn instinctual intrinsic intuitional involuntary knee-jerk mechanical native normal regular rooted second-nature typical unlearned unmeditated unpremeditated unprompted unthinking

Antonyms

STRONGEST

acquired extrinsic learned

WEAK

conscious deliberate meditated reasonable sensible

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The instinctive response is elegiac: lament the shuttered campus, mourn the futures it might have made, hope for rescue.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

“People make that decision not from the rational brain, but from the emotional, instinctive brain,” said Deborah Price, a money coach in Petaluma, Calif.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

“When you’re instinctive, you’re tough and you catch everything, that’s a pretty high floor. Absolute worst case, you’re going to have a steady, dependable, reliable player.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Zelensky showed immediately that he was an instinctive war leader, a born communicator who was able to rally his people.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

As I see him now, he is not really afraid, just withdrawing, as a bird or squirrel backs off from the brusque movements of the feeder—involuntary, instinctive.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Vocabulary lists containing instinctive

List 1

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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31

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"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury

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