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

Gargling vigorously enough that your eyes water slightly engages the same reflex doctors use clinically to check vagal function. — Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026 That reflex delays care and erodes trust. — Liz Koch, STAT, 6 Apr. 2026

Noun

There’s like this neuroendocrine reflex that goes from the skin up to the brain back to the tissue. — Quanta Magazine, 6 Aug. 2026 To her that was some of the strongest evidence that a memory, not a reflex, was responsible for fruit flies’ olfactory navigation. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reflex

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reflex

Adjective

That could have made playing a highly reactive character like Carol therapeutic.

— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Without visibility into these interconnected changes, organizations are forced into reactive decision-making.

— Josh Dunham, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of reactive

Noun

The shorter rear section creates additional clearance between the mouse and the palm of the player’s hand during recoil control, downward movements and other small in-hand corrections.

— Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Russia, already shock-therapied into unprecedented national calamity, was beginning to recoil from fervent Americanophilia into vengeful ultra-nationalism.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Definition of recoil

Adjective

East Hampton Town police responded to a 911 call from a man reporting a woman unconscious on a boat docked around midnight the day she was pronounced dead, according to last year’s statement.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2026
The Enneagram is a leadership consciousness and process map that reveals our gifts and unconscious patterns that can limit our dash story.

— Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconscious

Noun

MacLeod’s revulsion toward copyright comes from frustration, and a desire to divorce art from capital incentives.

— Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
The deepest reason for this near-universal futility is that most of us remain imprisoned by the delusions of the ego, suffering from alternating cravings and revulsions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 May 2026

Definition of revulsion

Adjective

Key Takeaways Metabolically unhealthy normal weight is often associated with higher visceral fat, fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, and abnormal cholesterol levels.

— Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2026
Jessica transforms the betrayal of a generation taught that work would protect them into visceral cinema, where illness cracks the skin while luxury masks collapse.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of visceral

Noun

The July job losses come after hiring slowed in June following an earlier rebound from historically weak job creation in 2025.

— Rachel Barber, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Tariffs aside, Corning was also the portfolio's big winner for the week, rallying roughly 18% as the AI infrastructure theme continued its rebound from last week's clearing event .

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 7 Aug. 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

We are swayed by subconscious gestures that ultimately have no bearing on a person’s ability to do a job, like poor posture or a weak handshake.

— Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
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

Definition of subconscious

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Style

“Reflex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reflex. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of reflex

adjective

noun

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