Definitions

instinctive

[in-stingk-tiv] / ɪnˈstɪŋk tɪv /

ADJECTIVE

reflex, automatic

Synonyms

STRONGEST

impulsive ingrained inherent innate intuitive natural spontaneous visceral

WEAK

accustomed by seat of one's pants congenital habitual inborn instinctual intrinsic intuitional involuntary knee-jerk mechanical native normal regular rooted second-nature typical unlearned unmeditated unpremeditated unprompted unthinking

Antonyms

STRONGEST

acquired extrinsic learned

WEAK

conscious deliberate meditated reasonable sensible

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.

Our instinctive response to every bubble, at least for the last 25 years, has been austerity.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026

The instinctive response is elegiac: lament the shuttered campus, mourn the futures it might have made, hope for rescue.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

“People make that decision not from the rational brain, but from the emotional, instinctive brain,” said Deborah Price, a money coach in Petaluma, Calif.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

Among them are Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart and former prime minister Tony Abbott, who said his "instinctive sympathy" remained with special forces soldiers from the Afghanistan campaign.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Some of her behavior was inherited, or instinctive.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

Vocabulary lists containing instinctive

List 1

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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31

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"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury

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