REFLEX Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

reflex 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of reflex

as in reactive

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Dissimilar Words

reflex

2 of 2

noun

as in recoil

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Dissimilar Words

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 reflex

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

Noun

Of course there has been defensiveness, the involuntary knee-jerk reflex of tribalism. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Give yourself a moment to separate genuine concern from the old reflex to keep everyone comfortable. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reflex

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reflex

Adjective

This would shift the system from a primarily reactive to a more predictive one.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
Executive Strategies For Implementation Applying TE to organizational settings requires a shift from reactive management to conscious engagement in leadership interactions.

— Gia Tskhovrebadze, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of reactive

Noun

One obvious reason for this had been that officials weren't entirely certain what the effects of firing the cannon might be on the spacecraft, such as the weapon's recoil on the station while fired in a microgravity environment.

— Micah Hanks, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
And the fact that its recoil didn’t threaten to detach your retinas with each trigger pull was a big bonus.

— John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of recoil

Adjective

The deployment of cringe might seems like a ridiculous, even unconscious, exercise by an administration that – as with the five-day tenure of former press secretary Katie Zacharia shows – regularly exposes itself to derision and satire.

— Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026
Officers reported with paramedics to the actor’s home for a report of an unconscious man who was not breathing.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of unconscious

Noun

Someone else expresses revulsion at seeing dogs devour bodies left to rot, but the disgust doesn’t seem to extend to the killings themselves.

— Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Anyone with even the mildest case of trypophobia—the sense of revulsion from tiny clusters and holes—should avert their eyes.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of revulsion

Noun

Suspension duties are handled by a 43-mm fully adjustable KYB inverted fork and a KYB rear monoshock with rebound and preload adjustment.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026
Market sentiment suffered from a rebound in oil prices as investors turned more skeptical about the prospects of a diplomatic breakthrough following the midterm elections.

— Jenni Reid,Lee Ying Shan,Paulina Likos, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of rebound

Adjective

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

Definition of Pavlovian

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Style

“Reflex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reflex. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of reflex

adjective

noun

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