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
-
That reflex delays care and erodes trust.—
Liz Koch,
STAT,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The ten seconds that led to the Braylon Mullins’ miracle shot were a series of reflex plays, reactions, the ultimate in instincts taking over, living in the split second, rather than in the moment.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But sometimes there are things that enter from the subconscious.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
-
His implication, perhaps subconscious, is that occasional flashes of partisanship are a form of self-defense.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Gorgeous, visceral and slightly anxiety-inducing, KID A MNESIA is an epic wander through the masterpieces that inspired it—a time and place that 25 years ago, Radiohead cautioned us to enter at our own peril.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Without your phone nearby, the SmartScan Ultra can still measure BMI, body fat, body type, muscle mass, visceral fat, and weight, and monitor weight changes and trends.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
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
-
As a child raised amid war and displacement, uncertainty and subliminal anxiety felt natural to me.—
Mehrnoush Soroush,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
An imperfect but useful analogy might be subliminal messaging, but for AI.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a simple way to boost moisture levels and soothe reactive skin between your daily routine steps.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Whether a Black woman can be afforded the same narrative elasticity as her peers after a betrayal, and be reactive yet sympathetic without her identity becoming the factor that defines how all of it is judged, remains to be seen.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The unconscious Moon retreats through your 12th House of Peace, trining take-charge Saturn in your 4th House of Care along the way.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Firefighters searched the apartment and found a woman in her mid-60s unconscious in the bathroom of the apartment.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Advanced safety technology — lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, collision warnings and more — all add to the cost of a vehicle.—
Alexa St. John,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
There’s like an automatic thing to it.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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