as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision
the birds' instinctual response is to fly away when startled
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instinctual
Adjective
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Request an automatic extension while filing through IRS Free File. File Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return by mail, through an e-filing option or with a tax professional.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2025 -
Many of these duties are automatic, such as confidentiality between professionals (e.g. doctors, lawyers and accountant and their clients).—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Driving through deep water can also negatively affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
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In the last two decades, five helicopters on commercial sightseeing flights have crashed into the Hudson and East rivers due to mechanical failures, pilot errors, or collisions, resulting in 20 fatalities.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The team embodied a collaborative spirit where creativity and cohesion were instinctive, making the experience refreshingly effortless.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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Shift from instinctive meaning-making to intentional meaning-making.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But ultimately, the week ended with a pretty good array of extremes in selling pressure and hedging demand of the sort that should turn the risk-reward more favorable for a reflex bounce before too long.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
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The reflex reaction would be to suggest that without Stiller and Goretzka, Germany lost control in midfield.—
Manuel Veth,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Emerging from the city's urban landscape, his art is characterized by spontaneous compositions of pattern and form, often evolving through layers of spray paint, ink, and acrylic.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
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Both edibles offer fresh garnishes for daily use or spontaneous hosting.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the footage, a large coastal carpet python rests on a mechanic shop's floor.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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His current mechanic shop is basically a retirement hobby, something to pass the time.—
Zach Helfand,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Boston Dynamics is at it again, wowing us with some seriously cool robotic moves.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Or mostly robotic, at least—the fruit flies the researchers used would occasionally go their own way, despite strong inducements to stay with the program.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The fraught legal battle is also taking place amid a sudden round of visa revocations among international students at some of the country’s top universities, with college officials left unprepared and searching for answers from the government.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2025
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Similar to his advice on Caterpillar, Cramer has in recent days been recommending investors not making any sudden movements with their portfolios because there’s so much uncertainty.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Instinctual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instinctual. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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