PAVLOVIAN Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

Pavlovian

adjective

Definition of Pavlovian

as in reflex

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of Pavlovian Publications from the Times on down employ clickbait headlines that treat you like a starving rat in a Pavlovian experiment. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 O’Neill, who also has Pavlovian as a starter, named Cristian Torres to ride Robusta because Emisael Jaramillo had commitments at Santa Anita. — Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026 Having been in a couple of recent street fights in Derby qualifying races, Pavlovian looks to have a haymaker’s chance. — Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2026 Why this is so is based on a number of factors, including official priorities, trade-offs, and what many suspect is Pavlovian manipulation. — New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Pavlovian

Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pavlovian

Adjective

The reflex sell-off after Wednesday's Federal Reserve rate hike gave the S&P 500 a momentary test of 7500, which proved a timely shakeout.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Padmini smiled, though this appeared more reflex than friendliness.

— Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of reflex

Adjective

One reason is because the wrong word or phrase can impair an athlete’s attention or focus, pulling them out of their subconscious performance (or flow) state.

— Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Davidsen bucks up her balky husband with a bloodthirsty holler, stiffens her voice against doubt, and, in her final sleepwalking scene, taps into the tender stratum of Lady Macbeth’s subconscious.

— Justin Davidson, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of subconscious

Adjective

All four movies exhibit Mackenzie’s knack for trenchant social and political commentary slightly heightened by his elegance as a dramatist and visceral genre filmmaker, and all are accompanied by illuminating supplements.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
Participants wear wetsuits and helmets while safety instructors offer a visceral lesson in what to do when conditions quickly become dangerous.

— Lauryn Higgins, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of visceral

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

Definition of conditioned

Adjective

Rustling and droning tape effects from Frye, subtle enough to be nearly subliminal but still somehow palpably present, act as a binding agent on every track, blurring tones and connecting rhythms.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 6 Oct. 2026
Transitivity also posits a subliminal dimension for Shift, something like the psyche of structured encounter.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of subliminal

Adjective

Using light for hydrogen The technique allows researchers to produce highly reactive individual hydrogen atoms under mild conditions and use them to reduce organic molecules.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
My own reactive skin tolerated it without an issue, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s will.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of reactive

Adjective

Together, the four officers dragged the unconscious man into the hallway.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Like Dominique Pelicot, the French man who used the online chat platform Coco to recruit men to rape his drugged and unconscious wife, the @SteveCumfulls of the world thrive on the internet’s reach and de-facto anonymity.

— Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of unconscious

Adjective

Shortly after, Wilcox slammed on the brakes, jumped out of his vehicle, took out a loaded semi-automatic handgun and fired three gunshots at the officer, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
But until recently, most automatic speech recognition (ASR) services with high-quality transcription only worked for a small number of them.

— Richard Eisenberg, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of automatic

Browse Nearby Words

paving the way (for)

Pavlovian

paw

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“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of Pavlovian

adjective

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