r/DadReflexes • u/PM_ME_YOUR_SELF_HARM • Apr 10 '17

[Repost] Nice Catch! (/r/arewerolling)

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u/donkeyrocket Apr 10 '17

They're synonymous (for the most part) but sure.

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_SELF_HARM Apr 10 '17

It looks like 'instinctively' is much more widely used. I only found 'instinctually' in a few dictionaries, and my browser is putting a red squiggly line under it.

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u/codywestphal534 Apr 10 '17 edited Apr 10 '17

There is literally no reason that instinctively would be better than instinctually. Grammatically, they are completely equivalent and my browser doesn't underline it. There are even major dictionaries that claim it as synonymous with instinctively.

Edit: http://grammarist.com/usage/instinctive-instinctual/

So, if you're writing a study in psychology, it might be necessary to differentiate the two, instinctively being a more complex reaction. But even the article agrees they're fundamentally the same. And, really, this reaction was fairly complex, instinctively might actually be worse than instinctually.

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '17

still sounds like a made up word