intuitive

American  

[in-too-i-tiv, -tyoo-] / ɪnˈtu ɪ tɪv, -ˈtyu- /

adjective

1. perceiving directly by intuition without rational thought, as a person or the mind.

2. perceived by, resulting from, or involving intuition.

   intuitive knowledge.

   Synonyms:

   natural, inborn, innate

3. having or possessing intuition.

   an intuitive person.

4. capable of being perceived or known by intuition.

5. easy to understand or operate without explicit instruction.

   an intuitive design;

   an intuitive interface.

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intuitive British  

/ ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv /

adjective

1. resulting from intuition

   an intuitive awareness

2. of, characterized by, or involving intuition

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Other Word Forms

• intuitively adverb
• intuitiveness noun
• nonintuitive adjective
• nonintuitiveness noun
• quasi-intuitive adjective
• unintuitive adjective

Etymology

Origin of intuitive

From the Medieval Latin word intuitīvus, dating back to 1585–95. See intuition, -ive

Explanation

If you're intuitive, you can probably guess what this word means just by looking at it. No? Maybe you're not so intuitive, after all. Intuitive means having the ability to understand or know something without any direct evidence or reasoning process. Psychics are intuitive. So are mothers when they know you're lying. A process can be said to be intuitive as well, if it can be easily learned without any prior training — like an easy-to-learn software program. In human beings, intuitiveness is often thought of as something more mystical, as in the ability psychics have to predict the future.

Example Sentences

“The first six months were tough because I had to learn things that weren’t intuitive to me,” Cook says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

If designers understood the hurdles that users faced, they could reduce the friction between intention and action by making the machine intuitive to use.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

Apple would go on to revolutionize the tech industry, creating innovative, intuitive and beautiful gadgets billions of people would buy again and again.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

While not an inventor, Jobs -- who died in 2011 at age 56 -- was renowned for his uncompromising drive to marry technology with design to create products that were intuitive and hassle-free.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

On the popular level, Haynes’s scenario made so much intuitive sense that it rapidly leapt from the pages of Science to high school history textbooks, mine among them.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• emotional
• innate
• perceptive
• spontaneous
• visceral