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
-
There are varying depths of coma, however, and some people may still have some reflex responses.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Beyond that, though, the history of the past couple of years shows that NVDA's stock move isn't a reliable directional driver of the broad tape beyond the reflex reaction.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Illustrations can be as powerful as photographs and their visual imagery often lives on, influencing our subconscious.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This kind of subconscious bias could further complicate hiring practices already known to be influenced by factors such as race, age, and socioeconomic status.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s when the demo ushered in a wave of gory action involving visceral melee combat and gunplay.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This is filmmaking at its most visceral.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
6 Sep. 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
-
Is the management team proactive or reactive?—
Jack Mullen,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Up until this point, their private war had mostly been reactive.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Daniel, having fallen off the side of a mountain on a rock-climbing trip with Cherry, is in the hospital, unconscious and fighting for his life.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
As Daniel lies unconscious and broken in a hospital bed, the doctors warn Laura and her husband, Howard (Waleed Zuaiter), that their son probably won’t make it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There is no semi-automatic offside system as in La Liga.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The system has an automatic self-cleaning function and is designed for easy, tool-free filter replacement, with filters lasting from 12 to 24 months.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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