as in reflex
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Recent Examples of Pavlovian
When the needle finally drops, the effect is Pavlovian.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 25 July 2025
The result is a political Pavlovian response where even modest tax reforms come with a side of millionaire exodus think-pieces.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
The theme is the same Pavlovian ring tone as its dating show predecessor, but off-kilter — the Wario to Love Island’s Mario.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 July 2025
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
Alison Herman, Variety, 25 July 2025
The result is a political Pavlovian response where even modest tax reforms come with a side of millionaire exodus think-pieces.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
The theme is the same Pavlovian ring tone as its dating show predecessor, but off-kilter — the Wario to Love Island’s Mario.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 July 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pavlovian
Adjective
-
In each case, there's a recognition that some players might want to explore a game's world—to experience the characters, art, and dialogue that the developers worked so hard to craft—without struggling through mechanical reflex tests or grindy, repetitive challenges.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 Oct. 2025
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This realistic doctor’s coat has everything your aspiring doctor needs to give their patients a check-up, including a face mask, a stethoscope with sound effects (AAA batteries not included), thermometer, syringe, reflex hammer, and reusable name tag.—
Katrina Cossey,
Parents,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
At the same time, Mercury and Mars in Scorpio are activating your spiritual and subconscious sector, making your inner world louder than ever.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Equal parts hilarious and disturbing (puberty in a nutshell), Polinger melds body horror with a razor-sharp insight into the subconscious psyche of adolescence.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
On the other side of that is the experiential aspect of what this protest was like in a visceral sense.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Now try the same thing with sound on while closing your eyes, and tell us which has the more visceral effect.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
-
In the midst of the chaos of her name being thrown around, GloRilla fired off a subliminal tweet about a certain guy blowing up her phone, which many thought was about Thug.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Here, the affection is not romantic but familial, flowing in soft, subliminal waves between parents and their adult children.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Pups with excitable and reactive temperaments were especially responsive to on-screen content, suggesting that many canines may interpret moving images much like real-world events.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
On the other hand, the effectiveness of previous photocatalytic systems has been limited by their reliance on reactive oxygen species (ROS).—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Another person in the room took over on the phone and agreed to let the call-taker know verbally each time the unconscious student’s chest rose.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Four people were pulled from the Sonata, including the 35-year-old woman and 2-year-old girl, who were both unconscious and not breathing.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the smartest things the subgroup of three commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick did in concocting a 12-team CFP format was to grant automatic playoff berths to the top six conference champions (later five after the Pac-12’s collapse).—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The days of securing big automatic rate increases with every new cable carriage deal are long over.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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