Meanings
comparative more instinctively · superlative most instinctively
- Innately; by instinct; without being taught.
Fish instinctively know how to swim; most humans don't.
3 more examples
She loved him so passionately, and he was so godlike in her eyes; and being, though untrained, instinctively refined, her nature cried for his tutelary guidance.
1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 26'I am, perhaps, overgreedy, but I sense a good cook instinctively.'
1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 9, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 270While Conservative and Labour MPs instinctively had deep political differences, they were united in the cold view that at the end of the 1950s, Britain's railways were friendless and almost finished.
2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 50Synonyms: instinctually
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbInnately; by instinct; without being taught.
Origin
Translations
Arabic غريزيًا
- غريزيًاinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Catalan instintivament
- instintivamentinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Dutch instinctief
- instinctiefinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Finnish vaistonvaraisesti, vaistomaisesti
- vaistonvaraisestiinnately, by instinct, without being taught
- vaistomaisestiinnately, by instinct, without being taught
French instinctivement
- instinctivementinnately, by instinct, without being taught
German unwillkürlich
- unwillkürlichinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Greek ενστικτωδώς
- ενστικτωδώς (enstiktodós)innately, by instinct, without being taught
Hungarian ösztönösen
- ösztönöseninnately, by instinct, without being taught
Italian istintivamente
- istintivamenteinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Polish instynktownie
- instynktownieinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Russian инстинктивно
- инстинктивно (instinktivno)innately, by instinct, without being taught
Spanish instintivamente
- instintivamenteinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Swedish instinktivt
- instinktivtinnately, by instinct, without being taught
Cite this entry
instinctively. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instinctively
“instinctively.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instinctively. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “instinctively,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instinctively.
Source: instinctively on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.