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 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 See All Example Sentences for Pavlovian

Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pavlovian

Adjective

As the session continues, Atlas’s movements appear increasingly fluid, suggesting the system is being evaluated not only for strength but also for agility, reflex response, and adaptive motor control.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
Wyle listened to the two women’s breathing and administered a reflex test on their knees.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 May 2026

Definition of reflex

Adjective

Nolan has embraced an elaborately mathematical approach to storytelling and somehow applied it successfully to the subjects of subconscious corporate espionage, space exploration, and World War II.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 July 2026
A lot of the emotions Cancer carries are often subconscious and ancestral, which is why this lunation can also be tied to the past.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

Definition of subconscious

Adjective

The film frames spirituality as both a visceral response to injustice, and an unquenchable thirst to cure it.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 July 2026
In Whitehead’s hands, that imagining takes us through both time and place while making visceral the horrors of enslavement.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 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

Rather than questioning the practice of manifesting more broadly, though, Theiadora thinks the problem lies with a handful of rogue subliminal creators.

— Daisy Schofield, Allure, 13 July 2026
Drop after drop after drop from the receivers and tight ends — all while Brandon Aiyuk continued to post subliminal messages on social media amid his feud with the 49ers.

— Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Definition of subliminal

Adjective

One of Ramboll’s innovations is to address reactive power, a component of electricity that does not perform useful work but is essential in maintaining electrical and magnetic fields and controlling voltage levels.

— Drew Robb, IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026
After this, oxygen was introduced into the stubborn polymer chains, which created the reactive weak spots needed for the treatment to dismantle all three plastic types.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026

Definition of reactive

Adjective

Setting up recurring automatic contributions is a good way to slowly build your investment fund.

— Elizabeth Gravier,Dan Avery, CNBC, 16 July 2026
The legislative provision must include gradual and continual reductions in federal debt held by the public as a percent of GDP between the date of enactment and Fiscal 2040 with automatic enforcement mechanisms.

— Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 15 July 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 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of Pavlovian

adjective

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