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instinctive Definition

in·stinc·tive (in stiŋk′tiv)

adjective

  1. of, or having the nature of, instinct
  2. prompted or done by instinct

instinctive Related Forms
in·stinc′·tively adverb
instinctive Synonyms

instinctive

modif.

  1. Automatic

    mechanical, intuitive, reflex, unlearned; see automatic 2, habitual 1, inherent.

  2. Natural

    spontaneous, accustomed, normal; see natural 1, 2, spontaneous. See syn. study at spontaneous.

instinctive Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: Simple menus, thoughtful controls, and a clear display make navigation instinctive.

Modifies a noun

  • dislike: Some people seem to take an instinctive dislike to having attributes in an XML document whose content is 20 lines long.
  • mistrust: I suspect that some people who read his resignation statement and some of you reading this blog have an instinctive mistrust of Labor Students.
  • reaction: Luckily, we are capable of doing more than just being led around by our instinctive reaction.
  • sympathy: What they have in common is an instinctive sympathy for the characters.
  • hatred: Once again this demonstrates that any feeling of ' instinctive hatred ' come from within.
  • grasp: Tony Blair's instinctive grasp of these class interests underlies his zealous advocacy of US imperialism.

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: Vibes once told me that how he read people was purely instinctive.
  • almost: The African people have an almost instinctive flair for music.
  • very: I have always worked in a very instinctive way.
  • not: Our emotions are not instinctive - we have to learn to feel.
  • merely: But the panic and the insecurity are merely instinctive and transient.
  • so: This toy is so instinctive and perfect for the age group.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: Over the years this has become almost instinctive, knowing how film will respond to its various guises.
  • seem: It seems instinctive to make things simple rather than complicated.