A bird's instinctive migration route often spans thousands of miles, yet it requires no prior training or map.
鸟类本能的迁徙路线往往跨越数千英里，却无需任何事先训练或地图。
- Researchers concluded this suggested that termite-fishing is a learned skill transmitted through observation rather than purely instinctive.
From a Rhetorical Synthesis question · Expression of Ideas
Which choice best defines “instinctive”?
A — Natural, automatic. “instinctive” means natural, automatic.
Which word means “natural, automatic”?
D — instinctive. “instinctive” means natural, automatic.
instinctive — natural, automatic. In Chinese: 本能的，自发的.
instinctive is pronounced /ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/.
A bird's instinctive migration route often spans thousands of miles, yet it requires no prior training or map. (鸟类本能的迁徙路线往往跨越数千英里，却无需任何事先训练或地图。)
automatic, innate, natural — all close in meaning to instinctive (natural, automatic).
learned, deliberate — each the opposite of instinctive (natural, automatic).
Yes. instinctive is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
instinct(nature; inherent capability)+ive(adjective)