as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision
the instinctive reaction of a mother is to protect her children
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instinctive
The mammoth-bone huts represent a level of architectural skill that sets them apart from the instinctive nest building of our ape ancestors.
—
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
The seven tracks on their first LP together are largely instrumental and instinctive, building a pivotal series of Miami recording sessions into a fresco of outsider rock, ambient, and avant-garde arrangement.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
There’s a different kind of luxury unfolding along the Palm Beach coastline — one that feels less orchestrated and more instinctive.
—Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
As a downhill run defender, Winters is instinctive and decisive.
—Nick Harris
april 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinctive
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
The seven tracks on their first LP together are largely instrumental and instinctive, building a pivotal series of Miami recording sessions into a fresco of outsider rock, ambient, and avant-garde arrangement.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
There’s a different kind of luxury unfolding along the Palm Beach coastline — one that feels less orchestrated and more instinctive.
—Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
As a downhill run defender, Winters is instinctive and decisive.
—Nick Harris
april 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instinctive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctive
Adjective
-
Yale will be trying for its first title since the Ivy League started playing a postseason tournament in 2023, and the NCAA Tournament automatic bid that goes to the champion.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
President Pablo Longoria, sporting director Mehdi Benatia and head coach Roberto De Zerbi were portrayed as working in lockstep, and De Zerbi’s first season at the helm had concluded with Marseille securing automatic Champions League qualification for only the third time since 2013.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rescuing utopian idyll from dystopian reality, Koreeda determines that humanity is too fragile to forfeit its defining qualities to a mechanical species; that our only viable function in an artificial tomorrow is as the eternal caretakers of memory and imagination.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
-
Does my insurance cover a mechanical breakdown?—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Wyle listened to the two women’s breathing and administered a reflex test on their knees.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
8 May 2026
-
That reflex delays care and erodes trust.—
Liz Koch,
STAT,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
November 22 – December 21 A spontaneous move at home could create more freedom than expected today.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
-
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 A spontaneous move at home could create more freedom than expected today.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
What Natalie does seem driven by—more than faith, more than redirected ambition—is her instinctual loathing of other women.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
11 May 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
Adjective
-
Robots learn cloth folding Alongside the digital twin technology, FANUC demonstrated a dual-arm robotic system that learns to fold T-shirts using NVIDIA’s Isaac GR00T N robot foundation model.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
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The robotic Tianzhou 10 cargo ship lifted off atop a Long March 7 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on China’s Hainan Island on Sunday.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Eva Petzel, who will be an inspector working in Crown Point on election day, worked with mechanic Doug Kiser on a practice tutorial at the Lake County Government Complex on Saturday.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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Voters will decide in November on whether the union leader and mechanic stays in the seat ahead of the 2027 legislative session.—
Lina Ruiz
May 1,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instinctive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctive. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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