reflexive

adjective re·flex·ive \ ri-ˈflek-siv \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

1 a : directed or turned back on itself; also : overtly and usually ironically reflecting conventions of genre or form

a reflexive novel

b : marked by or capable of reflection : reflective

2 : of, relating to, characterized by, or being a relation that exists between an entity and itself

the relation "is equal to" is reflexive but the relation "is the father of" is not

3 : of, relating to, or constituting an action (as in "he perjured himself") directed back on the agent or the grammatical subject

4 : characterized by habitual and unthinking behavior

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reflexively

adverb

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reflexiveness

noun

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reflexivity

play \ˌrē-ˌflek-ˈsi-və-tē, ri-\ noun

See reflexive defined for English-language learners

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Examples of reflexive in a Sentence

In “I hurt myself,” the verb “hurt” is reflexive.
In the sentence “We forced ourselves to finish the assignment,” the word “ourselves” is a reflexive pronoun.
For many people, the reflexive response to this kind of demand is to say no.
music that triggers reflexive toe tapping

Recent Examples of reflexive from the Web

Trump's reflexive warning that the US will soon leave Syria, would in theory boost US adversaries in the region including Russia and Iran, and open the kind of vacuum that led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq, if it was carried out.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "Trump embraces his instincts at a key global moment," 2 Apr. 2018
Next comes the reflexive extending of the arm, the impulse to resize letters into the preschool range.

— susan crawford, WIRED, "What Are Screens Doing to Our Eyes—And Our Ability to See?," 27 Mar. 2018
However, Trump’s reflexive support of certain regional powers and animosity for others is occurring in a regional context that is undergoing rapid evolution with respect to the orientations and actions of regional powers.

— sina toossi, Newsweek, "Trump's Foreign Policy Has Left The Middle East Wide Open To Russia And China—And They're Moving In," 19 Mar. 2018
The big news here is Democrats playing to their same pattern of reflexive self-flagellation, which generally sets one faction against another to no purpose.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Public opinion is protecting Mueller’s investigation — for now," 24 Jan. 2018
Jim Axelrod: -- that reflexive protection of your face?

— CBS News, ""I felt like he owned me -- I did what he told me," says battered woman charged in execution-style killing," 3 Mar. 2018
But now this reflexive hostility to speech is actually endorsed by writers and editors.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "We All Live on Campus Now," 9 Feb. 2018
That, plus rear drive, a wider track, and a stiffer structure than in the standard 2-series imbues the coupe’s chassis with reflexive responses.

— eric stafford, Car and Driver, "2017 BMW M2," 22 Feb. 2018
Her number-one priority (which doubles as an intuitive coping strategy): to be receptive and reflexive—to not be too worried about things beyond the moment.

— nick remsen, Vogue, "How a New Generation of Designers Is Shaking Up Storied Fashion Houses," 13 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reflexive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of reflexive

Medieval Latin reflexivus, from Latin reflexus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

See Words from the same year

reflexive

noun

: reflexive pronoun

First Known Use of reflexive

1866

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

REFLEXIVE Defined for English Language Learners

reflexive

adjective

grammar : showing that the action in a sentence or clause happens to the person or thing that does the action
: happening or done without thinking as a reaction to something