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 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 Gukesh has a maturity that seems connected to his openness to instinctual play, and to his awareness of the depth and power of human feeling. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026 The rest of Kennard’s learning has been through conversations with coaches, film study and instinctual play on the court. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctual
  1. automatic
  2. mechanical
  3. instinctive
  4. reflex
  5. spontaneous
  6. mechanic
  7. robotic
  8. sudden
Adjective
  • Teoscar Hernández led off the 10th with a single off Jimmy Herget (0-5) and Freddie Freeman's sacrifice fly scored automatic runner Andy Pages.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Beating at the core of the new models is the automatic Calibre 37-24, which offers up a flyback function that lets the wearer stop, reset, and restart the timepiece with just a press of the pusher.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of automatic
Adjective
  • Counter identified the auditorium’s main air-supply fan as original equipment dating to 1937, and described mechanical and electrical systems that have been added onto and modified repeatedly over the decades.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
  • NordSpace had planned to launch its own Taiga rocket from the Atlantic Spaceport Launch Complex in August 2025, but the test was aborted due to mechanical issues.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mechanical
Adjective
  • Partial drafts of his work were carried along with him, soaked in Salinger’s sweat and imbued with his raw, instinctive reactions to conflict.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The inside linebacker is smart, physical, instinctive, can cover and has a knack for creating turnovers.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of instinctive
Adjective
  • Padmini smiled, though this appeared more reflex than friendliness.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • One breath, just long enough to let the reflex pass and judgment catch up.
    — Alfonso Cahero, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of reflex
Adjective
  • How spontaneous is the crew in choosing to, say, send you off on a commuter train in Mumbai?
    — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The team also showed that the spontaneous mode could act as a magnonic parametric amplifier, producing gains of up to 40 decibels.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of spontaneous
Adjective
  • More recently, the Daily News has learned, a local bus made runs in Manhattan for three weeks despite a driver reporting steering problems and a mechanic finding severely worn suspension components.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Bou Meng, along with two other survivors, artist Vann Nath and mechanic Chum Mey, testified in 2009 at the trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who had been the S-21 commandant.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of mechanic
Adjective
  • Also sent moonward on that flight was the Hakuto-R Mission 2's Resilience, a robotic lunar lander developed by the Japanese company ispace.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Intuitive Machines — Shares of the maker of robotic spacecraft and landers designed to fly to the moon jumped 10%.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of robotic
Adjective
  • The sudden loss of mass means the strength of the primary star’s gravity drops suddenly, causing the secondary companion to get flung out into space at dizzying speeds.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But the sudden reversal in many of its biggest stock bets, compounded by losses on the other side of its portfolio and the use of leverage, quickly turned into a liquidity crunch.
    — Yun Li, CNBC, 14 Aug. 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 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on instinctual

Nglish: Translation of instinctual for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All