instinctual

adjective

as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision the birds' instinctual response is to fly away when startled

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instinctual There’s an instinctual quality to how Navarrette has navigated her career thus far. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 The downside is that these shifts are not situations where instinctual actions are superfluous. — ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 The monarchs’ feats of navigation are enabled by their internal technology, a set of instinctual tools that in some ways surpasses our understanding. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 When someone’s raging at you, two phrases seem almost instinctual to say. — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 July 2026 In her speech, Swift reflected on her career, the instinctual nature of her songwriting, and trusting her own voice. — Bryan West, USA Today, 12 June 2026 The instinctual Moon in your 1st House of Identity conjoins tender Chiron there, asking you to lead by naming a need without armor. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026 Sprints are chaotic and instinctual, for all the planning that can be done, decisions have to be made on feeling, with risk, at speeds topping out at around 80kph. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 May 2026 This was an instinctual work, mined from decades of memory. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctual
  1. automatic
  2. mechanical
  3. instinctive
  4. reflex
  5. spontaneous
  6. mechanic
  7. robotic
  8. sudden
Adjective
  • Mississippi does not have an automatic recount process, but a challenger can seek a court order for one.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Mississippi's election procedures do not have an automatic recount provision.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of automatic
Adjective
  • Led by scientists at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, the team investigated a kind of bone cell that detects mechanical forces, known as osteocytes.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • With composites, thermal cycling and mechanical strain can cause cracking, exacerbating losses of molecular hydrogen.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of mechanical
Adjective
  • Tall grasses, subtropical forest, and birdsong envelop the property in 360-degree wilderness, encouraging an instinctive shift down a gear.
    — Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Like Irving Berlin, Miranda is an instinctive musician whose mistakes can be worth more than other people’s rules.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of instinctive
Adjective
  • The reflex sell-off after Wednesday's Federal Reserve rate hike gave the S&P 500 a momentary test of 7500, which proved a timely shakeout.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Padmini smiled, though this appeared more reflex than friendliness.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of reflex
Adjective
  • Our Featured Artist Joost Stokhof captures his surroundings in spontaneous lines.
    — New York Times Games, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The format allows for spontaneous collaborations, with musicians building on one another’s ideas rather than following a predetermined concert program.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of spontaneous
Adjective
  • Parched fields force hydroponic growers, vegetable farmers and fruit producers to halt harvests, sell off underfed livestock at rock-bottom prices and even return to mechanic jobs to survive.
    — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • There are exceptions and one is Hig (Elordi), who before the virus hit was a mechanic living a good life with his pregnant wife and new puppy.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mechanic
Adjective
  • Robotic systems expand rescue Other Chinese military medical units have also tested robotic equipment during battlefield rescue exercises.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Plans called for manufacturing structural beams in orbit and deploying a solar array, combining 3D printing with robotic manipulation.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of robotic
Adjective
  • Sexton’s sudden departure forced Luka Doncic to re-enter a 20-point game.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The scale-rich designs absorbed sudden, violent impacts without buckling, offered a massive range of tunable stiffness, and successfully cushioned delicate objects embedded deep inside them.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of sudden

Browse Nearby Words

instincts
instinctual
institute
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Cite this Entry

“Instinctual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctual. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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