Instinctually knowing a word, but not knowing how to define it?

Sometimes words have very subtle meanings that definitions can't express. You can only pick out its true meaning from context. Or as janith said you have a lousy vocabulary.

100% normal. There are tons of words that i understand perfectly when they are in context but would not be able to define it

Yeah, normally it's the most everyday words. Or words with few synonym. Like, define the word "define". How the fuck?

Hahaha i have the same thing. There are words that i have never seen or heard before and i know what they mean, but i cannot explain them to some1 else. Only myself. I guess its normal

Did you happen to study Latin? I did for 6 years and now some words I just inherently recognize tho I may not be able to define exactly.

Very normal. It's not that you know it instinctively, it's just that you don't know how to describe it because you lack the vocabulary.

I have more of an opposite problem. Give me a rough definition and I'll play hell coming up with the right word, but give me a word and I'm very likely to be able to define it pretty well.

It's completely normal. Sometimes we are able to define a word by relating it to similar ones. It is completely normal.