instinctive
/ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/adjective
Done automatically from natural impulse, without conscious thought.
Example sentences
- “Ducking at the loud bang was purely instinctive.”
- “Her instinctive reaction was to shield the child from the falling glass.”
Instinctive reactions bypass thought; 'intuitive' understanding arrives without reasoning. The words overlap but are not identical.