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

Relevance

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
  • Shortly after, Wilcox slammed on the brakes, jumped out of his vehicle, took out a loaded semi-automatic handgun and fired three gunshots at the officer, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But until recently, most automatic speech recognition (ASR) services with high-quality transcription only worked for a small number of them.
    — Richard Eisenberg, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of automatic
Adjective
  • Related Stories Speaking at View Conference in Turin on Thursday, Hickel, who recently marked 30 years at ILM, detailed how the team mixed digital animation with physical sets, mechanical rigs and traditional stop-motion.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For example, changes in contact forces could indicate whether a screw has engaged correctly, while audio cues could help identify when a mechanical latch has clicked into place.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mechanical
Adjective
  • More broadly, the season moved away from formulaic dressing toward a more individual, instinctive approach to style, where contrasting references and personal expression take precedence over a single aesthetic.
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
  • His insight gleaned from both his study of history and his instinctive attuning to the dramas that play out on the tongue made his food pop at Coach House and its casual, drinky sibling, Lilac Tiger.
    — John Kessler, Chicago Tribune, 8 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
  • Harris also helped shape the movie’s imagination sequences, pushing Pixar’s artists toward more spontaneous, painterly images rather than the studio’s usual meticulous realism.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Johnson’s initial connection with EY CEO and Global Chair Janet Truncale was a spontaneous one.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 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
  • Boston Dynamics‘ prototype operation brings engineers and machinists together to develop, manufacture, assemble, and maintain robotic hardware.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Vatican has now said that those tests included a robotic bronchoscopic biopsy, meaning doctors had already taken tissue samples to assess whether the mass was cancerous.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of robotic
Adjective
  • All of a sudden, Bass was a staggering champion lunging at a revived Raman, who swung and stung and ducked the way only a hungry up-and-comer can.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Sagittarius Moon opposes Uranus, making a conversation, bit of news, or sudden change of perspective impossible to ignore.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of sudden

Browse Nearby Words

instincts
instinctual
institute
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instinctual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctual. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All