intuitive

adjective

in·tu·i·tive | \ in-ˈtü-ə-tiv

, -ˈtyü-\

Definition of intuitive

1a : known or perceived by intuition : directly apprehended had an intuitive awareness of his sister's feelings

b : knowable by intuition intuitive truths

c : based on or agreeing with intuition intuitive responses makes intuitive sense

d : readily learned or understood software with an intuitive interface

2 : knowing or perceiving by intuition

3 : possessing or given to intuition or insight an intuitive mind

Other Words from intuitive Does intuitive have anything to do with a sixth sense? More Example Sentences Learn More about intuitive

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Does intuitive have anything to do with a sixth sense?

Nowadays, we often see intuitive used in contexts pertaining to technology that is easy to understand. A smartphone with an “intuitive interface” is one that doesn't need much explaining; you can usually figure out how it works as soon as you fire it up.

The related noun intuition, meanwhile, describes a feeling of knowing or understanding something without evident rational thought and inference. A parent's intuition might tell him or her that a child is in danger, even if there is no logical reason to believe so.

So does intuitive have anything to do with what is often called the sixth sense? Well, the sixth sense is defined as "a keen intuitive power." It is synonymous with ESP or extrasensory perception. As its name implies, ESP describes a purported ability to know something that cannot be known by normal use of the senses.

The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) used the term intuitive substage to refer to the stage of cognitive development when children have acquired a vast amount of knowledge but have not considered how they acquired it, so they accept it as true.

An interface is intuitive because it makes sense according to what we expect from how older interfaces are designed. A parent's intuitive sense of danger may still be prompted by subtle hints that things just aren't as they should be, even if the parent cannot identify exactly how. So while sixth sense refers to the ability to acquire knowledge from beyond the five senses, intuitive tends to apply more to knowledge absorbed through experience, even when not immediately recognized as such.

Examples of intuitive in a Sentence

The controls of an airplane are intuitive. Push to nose down, pull to nose up, turn left, turn right. — Stephan Wilkinson, Popular Science, December 2002 … but most of the literature was political rather than scientific, more interested in … exalting the irrational and intuitive over the rational and quantifiable. — Paddy Chayefsky, Artificial Paradises, (1978) 1999 Galileo had made an intuitive jump to what we now call Newton's first law of motion: a body in motion tends to remain in motion. — Leon Lederman et al., The God Particle, 1993 She has an intuitive mind. a doctor with an intuitive awareness of his patients' concerns The argument makes intuitive sense. The software has an intuitive interface.

Recent Examples on the Web

The four letters that make up the 16 types stand for either introvert or extrovert, intuitive or sensory, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. — Allie Volpe, Washington Post, "Four letters can say a lot: Why people put their Myers-Briggs personality types in their Tinder profiles," 15 Aug. 2019 Nevertheless, newcomers like GM and Gocycle have already improved upon it in sleek and intuitive ways, but at the cost of heavier bikes. — Thomas Ricker, The Verge, "Brompton Electric bike review: remarkably practical," 2 July 2019 It's all designed to take the complexity out of switching to green energy and make the process simple and intuitive for the average consumer. — CNN Underscored, "Arcadia Power is making renewable energy more accessible and affordable," 28 June 2019 There’s an intuitive yet unflashy quality to his game on both sides of the ball that’s extremely appealing, and his size and developing handle profile nicely as an off-guard and secondary playmaker. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "2019 NBA Draft Grades: No. 6 Pick Jarrett Culver Reportedly Headed to Timberwolves," 20 June 2019 Tall, aggressive and intuitive, opponents will have a hard time corralling her. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "10 players worth watching at the Women's World Cup," 3 June 2019 Even the most basic and intuitive assumptions about them need more scrutiny, because emerging evidence suggests that making networks bigger and making their parts more sophisticated doesn’t always translate to better overall performance. — Quanta Magazine, "Smarter Parts Make Collective Systems Too Stubborn," 26 Feb. 2019 Solutions that maintain its successes exist, but the physics community is loath to accept anything that does not feel intuitive. — Leila Sloman, Scientific American, "Hubble Tension Headache: Clashing Measurements Make the Universe's Expansion a Lingering Mystery," 29 July 2019 By the end of my short ride through Eugene's leafy neighborhoods, the FUV feels perfectly intuitive. — Edward Niedermeyer, Ars Technica, "Arcimoto raised $19 million to build “fun utility vehicles”—now what?," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intuitive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for intuitive

intuitive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of intuitive

: having the ability to know or understand things without any proof or evidence : having or characterized by intuition

: based on or agreeing with what is known or understood without any proof or evidence : known or understood by intuition

: agreeing with what seems naturally right

See the full definition for intuitive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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intuitive

Definition of intuitive

Other Words from intuitive

Does intuitive have anything to do with a sixth sense?

Examples of intuitive in a Sentence

First Known Use of intuitive

History and Etymology for intuitive

English Language Learners Definition of intuitive

intuitive

Definition of intuitive

Other Words from intuitive

Does intuitive have anything to do with a sixth sense?

Examples of intuitive in a Sentence

First Known Use of intuitive

History and Etymology for intuitive

English Language Learners Definition of intuitive

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