as in intuitively
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Recent Examples of instinctively
Big, tannic cabernets and heady merlots — the bottles people often instinctively reach for — tend to overwhelm cheese, explains Roper.
—
Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Caught in the moment, Sarati instinctively begins to open his arms too, seemingly preparing to return the embrace.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Bears will instinctively chase you, just like a dog would.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
But there’s a good reason why a medieval writer like Petrarch was able, instinctively, to summon a culture that resonates with our own.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
One thing that sets him apart from a contemporary such as Pieter de Hooch, to whom he is instinctively likened, is a murmur that the stillness may not hold.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
On a pale stretch of Newhaven’s harbor front, in Edinburgh, sits Norah, an all-day eatery that feels instinctively at ease with its surroundings.
—Julie Lin, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2026
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, resting at the height of the curve.
—Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
For about five minutes, the two kept passing each other as the man alternated between running and walking, similar to interval training, but Barker still instinctively took out her mace.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Caught in the moment, Sarati instinctively begins to open his arms too, seemingly preparing to return the embrace.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Bears will instinctively chase you, just like a dog would.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
But there’s a good reason why a medieval writer like Petrarch was able, instinctively, to summon a culture that resonates with our own.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
One thing that sets him apart from a contemporary such as Pieter de Hooch, to whom he is instinctively likened, is a murmur that the stillness may not hold.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
On a pale stretch of Newhaven’s harbor front, in Edinburgh, sits Norah, an all-day eatery that feels instinctively at ease with its surroundings.
—Julie Lin, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2026
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, resting at the height of the curve.
—Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
For about five minutes, the two kept passing each other as the man alternated between running and walking, similar to interval training, but Barker still instinctively took out her mace.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctively
Adverb
-
Lawlor’s book contains chapters devoted to politics, but her inclination to reach for examples of the reasonable and unreasonable that any reader will intuitively share serves her less well here.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Residents and city planners intuitively understand this, and recent data bears it out.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
John Lennon basically saw a poster for a circus event with Henry the Horse, so that essentially became the lyrics to that song.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Traditional fixes—like tweaking the system’s parameters—don’t work because the dark modes remain fundamentally disconnected.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The California governor’s race has fundamentally changed since candidates last reported their campaign finance hauls last year.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
There’s depth there and the current roster basically consists of Drake London, diminutive old friend Olamide Zaccheaus and inconsistent field stretcher Jahan Dotson.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Meta shares are basically unchanged so far this year and last traded around $660 on Thursday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinctively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctively. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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