Standard Lemma guide

instinctive

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S T IH1 NG K T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Related to or prompted by instinct.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • When approached by a stranger, Jared clenched his fists in an instinctive manner.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

unthinking; prompted by (or as if by) instinct

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: natural

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English instinct Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English instinctive From instinct + -ive.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: բնազդային (bnazdayin) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Asturian: instintivu — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Bulgarian: инстинктивен (instinktiven) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Catalan: instintiu — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Dutch: instinctief — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Dutch: instinctmatig — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Esperanto: instinkta — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Finnish: vaistomainen — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Finnish: vaistonvarainen — related to or prompted by instinct
  • French: instinctif — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Galician: instintivo — related to or prompted by instinct
  • German: instinktiv — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Greek: ενστικτώδης (enstiktódis) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Hindi: सहज (sahaj) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Hindi: नैसर्गिक (naisargik) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Hindi: सहजवृत्तिक (sahajvŕttik) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Hungarian: ösztönös — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Indonesian: instingtif — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Irish: instinneach — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Macedonian: инстинкти́вен (instinktíven) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Malay: naluri — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Malay: kenalurian — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Malay: naluriah — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Manx: dooghyssagh — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Norwegian Bokmål: instinktiv — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: instinktiv — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Polish: instynktowny — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Portuguese: instintivo — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Russian: инстинкти́вный (instinktívnyj) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Slovene: nagonski — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Spanish: instintivo — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Swedish: instinktiv — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Turkish: içgüdüsel — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Ukrainian: інстинкти́вний (instynktývnyj) — related to or prompted by instinct
  • Armenian: բնազդային (bnazdayin) — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Asturian: instintivu — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Bulgarian: несъзнателен (nesǎznatelen) — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Catalan: instintiu — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Dutch: instinctief — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Dutch: instinctmatig — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Finnish: vaistomainen — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Finnish: vaistonvarainen — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • French: instinctif — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Galician: instintivo — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • German: instinktiv — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Greek: ενστικτώδης (enstiktódis) — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Hungarian: ösztönös — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Indonesian: instingtif — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Macedonian: на́гонски (nágonski) — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Malay: naluri — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Malay: kenalurian — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Malay: naluriah — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Portuguese: instintivo — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Spanish: instintivo — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Swedish: instinktiv — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Turkish: içgüdüsel — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking
  • Ukrainian: інстинкти́вний (instynktývnyj) — driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking