Synonyms for instinctive
ɪnˈstɪŋk tɪv; -tʃu əlin·stinc·tive

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 2 votes

1. instinctive

   That is spontaneous which is freely done, with no external compulsion and, in human actions, without special premeditation or distinct determination of the will; that is voluntary which is freely done with distinct act of will; that is involuntary which is independent of the will, and perhaps in opposition to it; a willing act is not only in accordance with will, but with desire. Thus voluntary and involuntary, which are antonyms of each other, are both partial synonyms of spontaneous. We speak of spontaneous generation, spontaneous combustion, spontaneous sympathy, an involuntary start, an unbidden tear, voluntary agreement, willing submission. A babe's smile in answer to that of its mother is spontaneous; the smile of a pouting child wheedled into good humor is involuntary. In physiology the action of the heart and lungs is called involuntary; the growth of the hair and nails is spontaneous; the action of swallowing is voluntary up to a certain point, beyond which it becomes involuntary or automatic. In the fullest sense of that which is not only without the will but distinctly in opposition to it, or compulsory, involuntary becomes an antonym, not only of voluntary but of spontaneous; as, involuntary servitude. A spontaneous outburst of applause is of necessity an act of volition, but so completely dependent on sympathetic impulse that it would seem frigid to call it voluntary, while to call it involuntary would imply some previous purpose or inclination not to applaud.

   Synonyms:
   automatic, free, impulsive, involuntary, spontaneous, unbidden, voluntary, willing

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. instinctive

   Synonyms:
   natural, voluntary, spontaneous, intuitive, impulsive

   Antonyms:
   cultivated, forced, reasoning, rationalistic

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. natural, instinctiveadjective

   unthinking; prompted by (or as if by) instinct

   "a cat's natural aversion to water"; "offering to help was as instinctive as breathing"

   Synonyms:
   innate(p), natural, raw(a), rude(a), born(p), lifelike

   Antonyms:
   induced

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. instinctiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   natural, spontaneous, involuntary

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "instinctive":

   knee-jerk, intuitive

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How to use instinctive in a sentence?

1. Masao Miyazaki:

   When iridoid cocktails were applied on the bottom of dishes that were then covered by a punctured plastic cover, cats still exhibited licking and chewing even though they couldn't contact the chemicals directly, this means that licking and chewing is an instinctive behavior elicited by olfactory stimulation of iridoids.

2. Bruce Lee:

   Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential.

3. Daniel Benjamin:

   My own instinctive reaction, without having a huge number of facts in front of me, is that if you are striking terrorists using military force for many years in a row, then something like this unfortunately becomes almost a statistical inevitability, it is very hard to avoid.

4. Louis-Ferdinand Céline:

   This instinctive repulsion which tradespeople inspire in men of sensitive feeling is one of the very rare consolations for being so impoverished which are given to those of us who don't sell anything to anybody.

5. Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

   It's just instinctive to me, procedure is supposed to serve the people that law exists to serve.