intuitive
Americanadjective
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perceiving directly by intuition without rational thought, as a person or the mind.
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perceived by, resulting from, or involving intuition.
intuitive knowledge.
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having or possessing intuition.
an intuitive person.
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capable of being perceived or known by intuition.
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easy to understand or operate without explicit instruction.
an intuitive design;
an intuitive interface.
adjective
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resulting from intuition
an intuitive awareness
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of, characterized by, or involving intuition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intuitive
From the Medieval Latin word intuitīvus, dating back to 1585–95. See intuition, -ive
Explanation
If you're intuitive, you can probably guess what this word means just by looking at it. No? Maybe you're not so intuitive, after all. Intuitive means having the ability to understand or know something without any direct evidence or reasoning process. Psychics are intuitive. So are mothers when they know you're lying. A process can be said to be intuitive as well, if it can be easily learned without any prior training — like an easy-to-learn software program. In human beings, intuitiveness is often thought of as something more mystical, as in the ability psychics have to predict the future.
Vocabulary lists containing intuitive
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Reyna: One of my practices going into a writing session alone, or with anyone else, is to make a moment for intuitive research.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Treasury bonds, this approach seems less than intuitive.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Those goals feel more Southgate than Tuchel – player-led, intuitive and slightly chaotic rather than repetitive, drilled and choreographed.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
But they make one intuitive point hard to escape: Social connection is part of a healthy life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Born with a prodigy’s intuitive understanding of the animals, he had devoted himself to them so wholeheartedly that he was incomplete without them.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
