as in reflex
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Recent Examples of Pavlovian
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
For its viewing audience, tuning in would eventually become a kind of Pavlovian response to breaking news — and to anything major unfolding anywhere in the world.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 4 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
Those who follow the teachings of Warren Buffett know only to invest via index funds in a Pavlovian fashion.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024
The clack-clack-clack of the spinning wheel and the announcing of the winning number tends to elicit a Pavlovian response from the audience.
—David Andreatta, New York Times, 16 Feb. 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
Nostalgia plays a part too, of course, as those of us who came of age in the VHS era have an almost Pavlovian response to the look and feel of those chunky black tapes.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
For its viewing audience, tuning in would eventually become a kind of Pavlovian response to breaking news — and to anything major unfolding anywhere in the world.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 4 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
Those who follow the teachings of Warren Buffett know only to invest via index funds in a Pavlovian fashion.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024
The clack-clack-clack of the spinning wheel and the announcing of the winning number tends to elicit a Pavlovian response from the audience.
—David Andreatta, New York Times, 16 Feb. 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
Nostalgia plays a part too, of course, as those of us who came of age in the VHS era have an almost Pavlovian response to the look and feel of those chunky black tapes.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pavlovian
Adjective
-
The Loewe Grand inicio is a powerful two-way speaker with a bass reflex system and is available as a floor-standing speaker.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
Apart from the reflex response to a jump scare, the purpose of almost any horror movie is to disturb you.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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At the same time, Neptune in Aries stirs up subconscious fears or hidden desires.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
23 June 2025
-
Behavioral science shows that packaging design—color, weight, texture—nudges consumers by triggering subconscious associations.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Others will involve a lot of proprietary cooling tech, which gives off a visceral feeling of coolness.—
Julia Forbes,
Wired News,
27 June 2025
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Show what delays in collections actually block (hiring, R&D, M&A moves) and the existential urgency becomes obvious, and the failure becomes visceral.—
Carlos Vega,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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Is the show of regret a conditioned response associated with receiving a less severe punishment?—
Charlotte Hu,
Discover Magazine,
31 July 2011
Adjective
-
Michelle accused Braxton of continuing to take subliminal jabs at her since their Love & Hip Hop days — even as recently as after Beyoncé sent her flowers.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
16 June 2025
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Anyhow, this subliminal message to the Bond producer didn't do the trick.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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The convergence of an expanding threat surface and rapidly advancing attacker capabilities makes a reactive cybersecurity strategy untenable.—
Shane Buckley,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Chris Whipple, an expert on White House chiefs of staff, said Trump is reactive and instinctive, which drove his success on the campaign trail.—
Tamara Keith,
NPR,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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Man who caused crash was ‘crying on his knees’ When police arrived at the crash, Brooke was found unconscious and bleeding from her head, according to court documents.—
Amaia Gavica,
Idaho Statesman,
26 June 2025
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Some recounted seeing a man knocked unconscious, a flight attendant who suffered an injury to their arm and another burned by hot water that spilled from the drink cart.—
Colson Thayer,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Instead, their relationship is built on a secure emotional foundation that makes these behaviors natural and automatic over time.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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The legislation centers on making permanent many benefits from Trump's first term that would otherwise expire by year's end, potentially triggering automatic increases for millions of Americans.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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