instinctive

adjective

in·​stinc·​tive in-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or being instinct

2

: prompted by natural instinct or propensity : arising spontaneously

an instinctive fear of innovation

—V. L. Parrington

instinctively adverb

Synonyms

• automatic
• instinctual
• involuntary
• knee-jerk
• mechanic
• mechanical
• robotic
• spontaneous

Choose the Right Synonym for instinctive

spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical mean acting or activated without deliberation.

spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.

a spontaneous burst of applause

impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.

impulsive acts of violence

instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.

blinking is an instinctive reaction

automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.

his denial was automatic

mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.

a mechanical teaching method

Examples of instinctive in a Sentence

Cats have an instinctive desire to hunt.

the instinctive reaction of a mother is to protect her children

Recent Examples on the Web

My creative process is instinctive and spontaneous. —Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

Each guest is invited to discover the essences through an instinctive exploration guided by a specialist or Cheloni himself, aimed at choosing favorite notes and creating a bespoke fragrance. —Sandra Salibian, WWD, 14 Jan. 2025

Ted Harbert, a former network executive and friend of the former Live with Kelly and Ryan host, told the outlet how Seacrest wanted the game to be almost instinctive for him, removing room for error. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

Now, not all of that was his fault because the Bills’ leadership tried to engineer some of the instinctive gunslinger out of his game. —Tim Graham, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

instinctive

adjective

in·​stinc·​tive in-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or being instinct

2

: resulting from or caused by instinct

instinctively adverb

Medical Definition

instinctive

adjective

in·​stinc·​tive in-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or being instinct

2

: derived from or prompted by instinct

an instinctive fear

instinctively adverb