instinctive
adjective
in·stinc·tive
in-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv 
1
: of, relating to, or being instinct
2
: prompted by natural instinct or propensity : arising spontaneously
… an instinctive fear of innovation.—
V. L. Parrington
V. L. Parrington
instinctively
adverb
Examples of instinctive in a Sentence
Cats have an instinctive desire to hunt.
the instinctive reaction of a mother is to protect her children
Recent Examples on the Web
The instinctive Moon lights your 5th House of Games, forming a flowing trine with imaginative Neptune in your 9th House of Journeys.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 6 Apr. 2026
Stark pointed to scientific research that says people are born with instinctive desires to protect and care for others.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
For many in the Jewish community, that is not an instinctive or comfortable position.
—Gayle Pearlstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
For Caldwell, weighing the risks of his work has always felt more like a mental abstraction, an algorithm of constantly shifting variables, than an instinctive act of self-preservation.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinctive
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Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 6 Apr. 2026
Stark pointed to scientific research that says people are born with instinctive desires to protect and care for others.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
For many in the Jewish community, that is not an instinctive or comfortable position.
—Gayle Pearlstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
For Caldwell, weighing the risks of his work has always felt more like a mental abstraction, an algorithm of constantly shifting variables, than an instinctive act of self-preservation.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinctive
Cite this Entry
“Instinctive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instinctive. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
instinctive
adjective
in·stinc·tive
in-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv
1
: of, relating to, or being instinct
2
: resulting from or caused by instinct
instinctively
adverb
Medical Definition
instinctive
adjective
in·stinc·tive
in-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv
1
: of, relating to, or being instinct
2
: derived from or prompted by instinct
an instinctive fear
instinctively
adverb
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