natural, 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”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
instinctive (comparative more instinctive, superlative most instinctive)
Related to or prompted by instinct.
Driven by impulse, spontaneous and without thinking.
Source: Wiktionary
In*stinc"tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. instinctif.]
Definition: 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
21 April 2025
(noun) a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
