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

Unfortunately for Ormund, the blood that spews from Roddy’s wound lands in his mouth and the metallic smell triggers his gag reflex. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 So long as effective communication persists, the reflex to mourn the disuse of a language can be motivated only by something else—nostalgia or, perhaps, the loss of a group’s ability to easily demarcate itself. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reflex

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reflex

Adjective

How Reaction Took Hold Of Airline Operations The dominant model in the industry remains reactive—detect a disruption, escalate, coordinate across silos and then recover.

— Abha Dogra, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
The skin barrier, which is the outermost protective layer of the skin, can also play an important role in how reactive skin is, says Alan Meyers, an R&D and formulation expert based in New Jersey.

— Jenny Jin, Glamour, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of reactive

Noun

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
The off-white ovoids press into the bristles, bunch up, and recoil several inches, then do it again in a sort of Sisyphean microdrama.

— Travis Diehl, The New York Review of Books, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of recoil

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

Adjective

But in typical Davies fashion, the five-hour miniseries distinguishes itself for tackling its subject so head on and with such varied and visceral feeling, as manifested especially by Cumming and David Morrissey as a pair of feuding neighbors.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
That visceral response reflects a lifelong fascination with music as a physical experience.

— Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of visceral

Noun

Crude oil is moving through the Strait of Hormuz at a pace that is starting to approach prewar levels, a notable rebound for the world’s most critical oil choke point.

— Evan Halper, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Negative investor sentiment and oversold conditions are the right setup for a rebound, but the timing of a bounce remains elusive because bond yields need to come down.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 Sep. 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

Adjective

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
Not to mention, all the subconscious terrain, where one wrestles with memory, vulnerability, and presence.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of subconscious

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“Reflex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reflex. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of reflex

adjective

noun

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