- a variation of instinctive.
instinctual
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 displaced feeling that a process we’ve always been told is natural and instinctual is anything but.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Even those with lives, careers and families are fundamentally lost, snared between their pursuit of personal justice and instinctual self-preservation.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
“Yermak was more a sort of instinctual negotiator…Budanov has his instincts, but I think he’s going to be much more punctilious about the preparations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
For the actor, Padilha says, choosing what he wants to do is always instinctual, never premeditated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
The pain from the blow on his shin made him cry out, and he curled up, an instinctual reaction, an attempt to make his body as small as possible.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
