instinctual
Americanadjective
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.
“The Drama” demands discomfort before defying it, making for a sophisticated viewing experience that questions our instinctual judgments.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
“Yermak was more a sort of instinctual negotiator…Budanov has his instincts, but I think he’s going to be much more punctilious about the preparations.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
His technical skill was instinctual and his style was unmatched — up until this point, scratching was mostly an East Coast thing.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025
The broadcast drama series, which also airs on Hulu, centers special agent Trent: a dapper investigator whose instinctual crime-solving skills render him essential to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2025
Even though he still held on to his instinctual ways, he was comfortable enough that he ventured around the cage and made quite a bit of noise.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
