4 dictionary results for: instinctive
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
in·stinc·tive
[in-stingk-tiv] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[in-stingk-tiv] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | of, pertaining to, or of the nature of instinct. |
| 2. | prompted by or resulting from or as if from instinct; natural; unlearned: an instinctive will to survive. |
Also, in·stinc·tu·al
[in-stingk-choo-uh
l] Pronunciation Key.
[in-stingk-choo-uh
l] Pronunciation Key.—Related forms
in·stinc·tive·ly, in·stinc·tu·al·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 2. spontaneous, intuitive, unpremeditated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| in·stinc·tive
(ĭn-stĭngk'tĭv) Pronunciation Key
adj.
in·stinc'tive·ly adv. Synonyms: These adjectives mean derived from or prompted by a natural tendency or impulse: an instinctive fear of snakes; instinctual behavior; an intuitive perception; visceral revulsion. See Also Synonyms at spontaneous. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| instinctive | |
adjective | |
| unthinking; prompted by (or as if by) instinct; "a cat's natural aversion to water"; "offering to help was as instinctive as breathing" [syn: natural] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Instinctive
In*stinc"tive\, a. [Cf. F. instinctif.] Of or pertaining to instinct; derived from, or prompted by, instinct; of the nature of instinct; determined by natural impulse or propensity; acting or produced without reasoning, deliberation, instruction, or experience; spontaneous. "Instinctive motion." --Milton. "Instinctive dread." --Cowper. With taste instinctive give Each grace appropriate. --Mason. Have we had instinctive intimations of the death of some absent friends? --Bp. Hall. Note: The terms instinctive belief, instinctive judgment, instinctive cognition, are expressions not ill adapted to characterize a belief, judgment, or cognition, which, as the result of no anterior consciousness, is, like the products of animal instinct, the intelligent effect of (as far as we are concerned) an unknown cause. --Sir H. Hamilton. Syn: Natural; voluntary; spontaneous; original; innate; inherent; automatic.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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