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reflex

noun · adjective · verb

Simple meaning

An automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

reefleks

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹiflɛks

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus

  2. An automatic response to a simple stimulus which does not require mental processing.

  3. chiefly photography

    A reflection or an image produced by a reflection; the light reflected from an illuminated surface to one in shade.

  4. The descendant of anything from an earlier time, such as a cultural myth.

adjective

  1. Produced automatically by a stimulus.

  2. Bent, turned back or reflected.

verb

  1. To respond to a stimulus.

  2. transitive

    To bend back or turn back over itself.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A reflection or an image produced by a reflection; the light reflected from an illuminated surface to one in shade.

Used this way, reflex is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • physiological reaction , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use reflex

  • “Touching the hot stove caused an immediate reflex to pull my hand away quickly.”noun

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus

physiological reactionRare

adjective

Sense: produced automatically by a stimulus

automaticreflexive

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.