instinctual

[in-stingk-choo-uhl] / ɪnˈstɪŋk tʃu əl /

ADJECTIVE

instinctive

Synonyms

WEAK

accustomed by seat of one's pants congenital habitual impulsive inborn ingrained inherent innate intrinsic intuitional intuitive involuntary knee-jerk mechanical native natural normal regular rooted second-nature spontaneous typical unlearned unmeditated unpremeditated unprompted unthinking visceral

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The Drama” demands discomfort before defying it, making for a sophisticated viewing experience that questions our instinctual judgments.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

“Yermak was more a sort of instinctual negotiator…Budanov has his instincts, but I think he’s going to be much more punctilious about the preparations.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

As Msrlyan grew up and the buildings and objects he’d once loved began to disappear, he said he felt an almost instinctual urge to try to preserve what was, if only for himself.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

He would come at it with a bang, deploying his deep understanding of chemistry, mathematics, and crystallography—but more important, his instinctual grasp of model building.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

instinctual

Example Sentences

Related Words