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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctual
Adjective
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The conferences that are awarded automatic bids are: Atlantic Hockey America (AHA), Big Ten, Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), Hockey East, and National Collegiate Hockey Conference.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025 -
Kemper said part of the uptick was related to other enforcement operations — specifically people picked up for other crimes then attacking the arresting officers, an automatic felony.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Mar. 2025
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On Facebook, the city government shared images of cracks in the walls of the lazy river, rust in the mechanical room and chipping concrete on a pedestrian bridge.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Another instinctive reaction to tariff announcements is shifting sourcing and manufacturing back to the United States.—
Jim DeLoach,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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This show should finally set the record straight: here is an American visionary whose obsessive paintings are at once stylized and crudely instinctive, achieving a kind of cryptic simplicity that might be called folk surrealism.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Engineered to deliver booming bass at all volume levels, the speaker sports dual 58mm tweeters, a 165mm bass driver, a bass reflex tube and BlueAnt’s signature psycho-acoustic bass.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Common triggers include dehydration from illness, vasovagal syncope—a reflex response to nausea or pain—abnormal heart rhythms, and heart valve conditions such as aortic stenosis.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Mentorship, professional development, and spontaneous idea-sharing are harder to replicate in virtual settings.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Gaga’s brassy belt brings out one of the album’s most passionate vocals from Bennett, who even lets out a spontaneous laugh toward the end of the song.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the footage, a large coastal carpet python rests on a mechanic shop's floor.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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His current mechanic shop is basically a retirement hobby, something to pass the time.—
Zach Helfand,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Months later, the participant retained his ability to control the robotic arm with minimal recalibration, highlighting the long-term reliability of this BCI system.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Returning samples from Mars The European Space Agency plans to launch its ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover to the red planet in 2028, and the robotic explorer will carry a complementary instrument to SAM.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For instance, regulatory decisions in major economies, such as the United States, China, and Europe, can trigger sudden and dramatic price swings.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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At least one state public health official is worried that the sudden loss in funding will hurt their state’s grasp of the virus.—
Ross O'Keefe,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Instinctual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctual. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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