PAVLOVIAN Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

Pavlovian

adjective

Definition of Pavlovian

as in reflex

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of Pavlovian The response was Pavlovian, the practice ingrained in her by her own mother, who spent much of her time pacifying her insecure and whiny husband. — Literary Hub, 9 July 2025 George Lucas’ 1977 space saga is pure Pavlovian pop rush and knows how to modernize creaky B-movie genre elements for maximum audience reaction. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025 Drivers build lives around parking: the work shifts altered to align with the alternate-side-rotation hours, the keys always in the pocket, the Pavlovian alertness at the chirp of an unlocking car. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 After a decade, my body reacts in a Pavlovian way to its stimuli, the scroll of torsos, the dopamine of a red dot notification, a three-toned beep that perks you up in your chair. — Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Pavlovian

Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pavlovian

Adjective

As the session continues, Atlas’s movements appear increasingly fluid, suggesting the system is being evaluated not only for strength but also for agility, reflex response, and adaptive motor control.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
Wyle listened to the two women’s breathing and administered a reflex test on their knees.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 May 2026

Definition of reflex

Adjective

Any bias, subconscious or otherwise, is in the margins, and relates to decisions that could go either way.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 19 June 2026
Her Taurus moon also occupies her 12th house, an area of the birth chart associated with spirituality, secrecy and subconscious realms.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026

Definition of subconscious

Adjective

Like, reading this book, young high-school students who could really empathize, see themselves in it, which is important to high-school students in a real, visceral way.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
The pressure to retreat to certainty was social, political and visceral.

— James G. Naples, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Definition of visceral

Adjective

As the protagonist Ben in Night of the Living Dead (1968), Duane Jones unveiled a distinct facet of pre-conditioned Black martyrdom.

— Malik Peay, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2023
The new formula is infused with a luscious blend of flower oils so that lashes feel conditioned and supple to the touch.

— Daisy Maldonado, SELF, 13 Sep. 2022

Definition of conditioned

Adjective

Drop after drop after drop from the receivers and tight ends — all while Brandon Aiyuk continued to post subliminal messages on social media amid his feud with the 49ers.

— Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 17 June 2026
When Kelli arrives to move into Shamea’s townhouse, the exchange is fraught with what feels like subliminal messages directed at Porsha.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 15 June 2026

Definition of subliminal

Adjective

That combination of oil control plus barrier ingredients is why powders are often flagged as a good pick for combination and reactive skin.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 1, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
This can create a fragmented view of how sellers actually perform and coaching becomes reactive and inconsistent because it is based on incomplete information.

— Andy Springer, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of reactive

Adjective

Audio from an emergency medical services dispatch suggests that McConnell, 84, was reported unconscious at his Washington residence in June, prompting an advanced life support response.

— Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 8 July 2026
McConnell was found unconscious the morning of June 14 and transported to a local hospital in an Advanced Life Support ambulance, according to Punchbowl News and the New York Post.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of unconscious

Adjective

The clinical version dates to research in the 1960s and 1970s, when devices tracked heart rate variability, muscle tension and skin temperature to help people regulate what was once considered automatic.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2026
The Disciplinary Code states that a sending off or automatic suspension can only be challenged if it was issued to the wrong player.

— Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of automatic

Browse Nearby Words

paving the way (for)

Pavlovian

paw

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“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of Pavlovian

adjective

Example Sentences

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