Pavlovian
adjective
Pav·lov·i·an
pav-ˈlȯ-vē-ən 
-ˈlō-;
-ˈlȯ-fē-
Examples of Pavlovian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For pretty much every gamer alive today, those first few notes induce an almost Pavlovian response — sparking an urge to grab a controller on your lap that isn’t actually there and bringing to mind comfortable, warm memories of stomping Goombas and riding Yoshi on a quest to save Princess Peach.
—
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
Someone suggests aguachile, a word that makes Top Chef fans everywhere — or maybe just me — shudder in Pavlovian irritation given its ubiquity in this competition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
Fox’s coverage of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series may have landed on a Saturday night in November, but 26.9 million fans somehow managed to override their Pavlovian conditioning in order to catch the Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Why this is so is based on a number of factors, including official priorities, trade-offs, and what many suspect is Pavlovian manipulation.
—New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2025
Audio cues and musical motifs from the older games (especially the first Prime from 2002) creep up now and then to trigger a Pavlovian response.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2025
It’s become sort of a literary party trick for me, the crying, almost Pavlovian but no less sincere.
—Bruce Handy, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
Trainer Doug O’Neill has three contenders in Saul Elliott, Thirsty Rebel and Pavlovian.
—Kevin Modesti, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
Earlier, Hernandez rode Desert Gate to an 8¾-length victory over Pavlovian in the Best Pal – giving Baffert a 12th win and fourth in a row — in the six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old males.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
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Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
Someone suggests aguachile, a word that makes Top Chef fans everywhere — or maybe just me — shudder in Pavlovian irritation given its ubiquity in this competition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
Fox’s coverage of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series may have landed on a Saturday night in November, but 26.9 million fans somehow managed to override their Pavlovian conditioning in order to catch the Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Why this is so is based on a number of factors, including official priorities, trade-offs, and what many suspect is Pavlovian manipulation.
—New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2025
Audio cues and musical motifs from the older games (especially the first Prime from 2002) creep up now and then to trigger a Pavlovian response.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2025
It’s become sort of a literary party trick for me, the crying, almost Pavlovian but no less sincere.
—Bruce Handy, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
Trainer Doug O’Neill has three contenders in Saul Elliott, Thirsty Rebel and Pavlovian.
—Kevin Modesti, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
Earlier, Hernandez rode Desert Gate to an 8¾-length victory over Pavlovian in the Best Pal – giving Baffert a 12th win and fourth in a row — in the six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old males.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pavlovian. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Pavlovian
adjective
Pav·lov·ian
pav-ˈlȯ-vē-ən
-ˈlō-; -ˈlȯ-fē-
-ˈlō-; -ˈlȯ-fē-
: of or relating to Ivan Pavlov or to his work and theories
Pavlovian conditioning
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