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
  • Some robo-advisors offer more customization and features, such as tax-loss harvesting, which uses losses to offset other portfolio gains, or automatic rebalancing.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • And not all of the proofs were certified as correct by the automatic logic verification platform Lean—in fact, some have already been retracted after outside scientists found mistakes.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of automatic
Adjective
  • Passes do not include pumpkins or entry to mechanical activities such as the bull ride.
    — Hali Smith October 8, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2026
  • He is saved by an enigmatic young mechanic who equips him with a custom mechanical arm.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of mechanical
Adjective
  • Mobile messaging relies on push notifications, driving rapid, instinctive responses before an employee’s critical thinking kicks in.
    — Firas Azmeh, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Those decisions have to become instinctive, and that familiarity is still coming.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 3 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
  • But the tale of that Thursday’s spontaneous, viral resistance is narrated by its proud participants.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Every piece of marketing that shows the licensed product—a social post, an ad, even a spontaneous Instagram Reel—needs prior approval, which is a real adjustment for e-commerce brands used to posting the moment something sells out.
    — David Born, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 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
  • At the University of Tokyo, researchers have even grown living human skin over robotic digits to wrinkle naturally and mend wounds with collagen.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The moon is a historical landmark — a celestial body continually peppered with robotic landers shot from our home planet, as well as human footprints planted there by a dozen visiting moonwalkers from 1969 to 1972.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of robotic
Adjective
  • There’s a fascinating synchronicity between the current real-world anxiety and the film industry’s sudden interest in dense studies of the tech world’s dark underbelly.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Other symptoms include sudden high fever and chills, headaches, and pain in the abdomen, legs and arms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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