adjective
reflexive
Done automatically without conscious thought.
She raises her arms in a reflexive response to the approaching ball.
Etymology
Reflex developed a physiological sense for a response returned automatically to a stimulus. Reflexive extends that automatic reaction to conduct performed without conscious deliberation.
In context
The immediate, reflexive, instinctive fruit of the fall was the refusal to say the two hardest words a human being can say
More examples
- Touching the hot pan triggers a reflexive jerk of his hand.
- Her apology is reflexive, even when she has done nothing wrong.
- The sudden crash makes him duck in a reflexive movement.
Forms
reflexive
reflex noun — An automatic response to a stimulus.
reflexively adverb — Automatically and without conscious thought.
Similar words
- automatic
- Emphasizes an action happening without deliberate control or attention.
- involuntary
- Emphasizes that a response is not under conscious control.
- instinctive
- Emphasizes natural impulses rather than learned or deliberate behavior.