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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 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 The late McCain tied the state's gun culture to an instinctual distrust of the federal government and an appreciation of constitutional liberties, a spirit that Goldwater reflected in his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1964. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctual
  1. automatic
  2. mechanical
  3. instinctive
  4. reflex
  5. spontaneous
  6. mechanic
  7. robotic
  8. sudden
Adjective
  • Security Accounting software contains sensitive financial information, so only consider a platform with strong security measures like encryption, secure bank connections, authentication and automatic data backups.
    — Carson Brunson, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
  • District title races rev up Friday night with 14 of the Sentinel Super 16 teams playing games that count in the chase for automatic state playoff berths.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of automatic
Adjective
  • So, say your evening flight is canceled because the aircraft develops a mechanical problem and the next departure is not until morning.
    — Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Because the carbon material smooths itself during deposition, manufacturers can eliminate downstream chemical mechanical planarization or etch-back steps that are normally needed to create the required surface.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of mechanical
Adjective
  • There had been this instinctive belief that maybe somebody like that could protect himself.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The Vulcan became more emotionless, while William Shatner’s Kirk — who replaced Jeffrey Hunter’s Pike — became a little more instinctive.
    — Neil Oseman, Space.com, 21 Sep. 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
  • The young mother was diagnosed with a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).
    — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The Pisces Moon in your finance zone squares your ruler Uranus in your playful 5th house, making spontaneous plans, tickets, hobbies, or treats harder to resist.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 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
  • In Ford’s newer manufacturing operations, skilled-trades workers may maintain large robotic casting systems, configure digital manufacturing processes, or troubleshoot machinery used in battery production.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
  • With private investment and the backing of the Defense Department in some cases, Carnegie Mellon faculty are pacing the frontier of AI-powered robotic applications.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of robotic
Adjective
  • In many such cases, Pennington says, parents will want to give each child an equal inheritance to be fair, but also worry about how the struggling child will fare upon receiving a sudden inheritance.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The account provided directly to Fox News offered a more harrowing description of the sudden descent, with the passenger saying people screamed as overhead compartments opened and power aboard the aircraft went out.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 2026.

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