as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision
the birds' instinctual response is to fly away when startled
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Recent Examples of instinctual
Skyy Clark is a very instinctual defender.
—
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
That’s when something tightened, a brief, instinctual clam-closing and then loosening again just as fast.
—Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Even voluntary music response seems to have an instinctual aspect.
—Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Your method was partly instinctual, partly gleaned from older girls from home, who had found themselves in trouble that way.
—Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
There is an instinctual thing — an unspoken and not really understood connection there.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Maybe this instinctual allure is why waiting lists for allotments have doubled and tripled in the past decade.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
The former five-star recruit is big (6-3, 238), instinctual, and features impressive lateral quickness and movement skills.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
More than a decade later, their chemistry is best described by Murray as telepathic, intellectual, instinctual.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
That’s when something tightened, a brief, instinctual clam-closing and then loosening again just as fast.
—Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Even voluntary music response seems to have an instinctual aspect.
—Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Your method was partly instinctual, partly gleaned from older girls from home, who had found themselves in trouble that way.
—Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
There is an instinctual thing — an unspoken and not really understood connection there.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Maybe this instinctual allure is why waiting lists for allotments have doubled and tripled in the past decade.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
The former five-star recruit is big (6-3, 238), instinctual, and features impressive lateral quickness and movement skills.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
More than a decade later, their chemistry is best described by Murray as telepathic, intellectual, instinctual.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctual
Adjective
-
With automatic runner Bo Bichette also aboard at second, Robert reached down and drove a 1-0 slider over the left-center fence for his first homer with the Mets.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
For many years now, that increase has been automatic based on growth in the national average wage index.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Form Insoles combine mechanical arch support with a neuro-stimulating texture, which is proven to reduce foot fatigue and arch pain by increasing overall foot awareness and foot posture.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Until the economies of scale kicked in that would shove mechanical movements into near oblivion within a decade, quartz watches were priced well at the luxury end of the market.—
David Szondy
March 28,
New Atlas,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For Caldwell, weighing the risks of his work has always felt more like a mental abstraction, an algorithm of constantly shifting variables, than an instinctive act of self-preservation.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
There is a sense of the body moving through the work, leaving behind gestures that feel both deliberate and instinctive.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The ten seconds that led to the Braylon Mullins’ miracle shot were a series of reflex plays, reactions, the ultimate in instincts taking over, living in the split second, rather than in the moment.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There was a reflex stop on a David Kämpf flash rebound in the second period.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Placental insufficiency, in which the organ fails to develop or function properly, is a leading cause of spontaneous preterm birth, experts say.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That kind of flexibility leads to spontaneous nights where what started off as an intimate hang expands into an all-out party.—
Sammy Loren,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The scheme, which uses single-button presses to deploy impressive moves, appears easy to learn on the surface, but Quarter Up layered complexity through the tag mechanic and defensive options to create depth.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The first Meat Castle series is Hands On, in which Scherr, a former tradesman and mechanic, tries his hand at a new unique craft in each episode, diving headfirst into the skilled professions that power the American dream.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Improving robot performance By combining Agile Robots’ hardware and AI systems with Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics foundation models, the firms aim to improve robotic performance through real-world deployment, data collection, model training, and continuous iteration.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Robots are a long way from being able to accomplish the full range of tasks that a human can do, but prioritizing robotic activities could lower the exposure that people have to the hazards of space.—
Scott Solomon,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Skarsgård’s character James ejaculating at the beach after a sudden handjob by Mia Goth’s freewheeling Gabi.—
Gustavo Turner,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinctual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctual. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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