1
Core quality
Understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
Example
The controls are simple and intuitive.
intuitive
/ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/ · in-TYOO-ih-tivadjective
Understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
Use intuitive to express this relationship precisely: understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
What intuitive Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
Her intuitive judgment was later supported by the data.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
The result seems counterintuitive until the variables are separated.
Use intuitive Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The controls are simple and intuitive.
Her intuitive judgment was later supported by the data.
The result seems counterintuitive until the variables are separated.
Precision Matters
Intuitive overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
intuitive
vs.Means understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
empirical
Means based on observation, measurement, or experience rather than theory alone.
intuitive
vs.Means understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
implicit
Means implied or understood without being directly stated.
intuitive
vs.Means understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
subjective
Means influenced by personal feelings, tastes, experiences, or opinions rather than wholly objective evidence.
intuitive
vs.Means understood or known readily through instinct or immediate perception rather than deliberate reasoning.
explicit
Means stated directly and with complete clarity.
Test intuitive in Context
Her understanding arose immediately, before deliberate analysis.
1
Even before calculating the probabilities, she had an ___ sense that the apparent pattern was misleading.