Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

reaction

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of reaction

  1. action or behavior that is done in return to other action or behavior we were startled by her extreme reaction to being jilted by her boyfriend Synonyms answer, reply, response, take Related Words backlash, kickback; rebound; recoil, reflex; revulsion, rise; counterreaction, counterresponse Near Antonyms action, behavior; cause, effect

Read the Latest from M-W

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'
alt-5978a79b75e17
Trending: 'Transgender' Americans Face New Restrictions

Learn More about reaction

  1. Dictionary: Definition of reaction Medical Dictionary: Definition of reaction Spanish Central: Translation of reaction Nglish: Translation of reaction for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reaction for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reaction

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up reaction? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

akimbo

play

set in a bent position

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game