REFLEX

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does reflex mean? 

• REFLEX (noun)
  The noun REFLEX has 1 sense:

1. an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus

  Familiarity information: REFLEX used as a noun is very rare.

• REFLEX (adjective)
  The adjective REFLEX has 1 sense:

1. without volition or conscious control

  Familiarity information: REFLEX used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• REFLEX (noun)

Meaning:

An automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

inborn reflex; innate reflex; instinctive reflex; physiological reaction; reflex; unconditioned reflex

Hypernyms ("reflex" is a kind of...):

reaction; response (a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some foregoing stimulus or agent)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reflex"):

accommodation reflex (reflex changes in the eyes that enable an object to be focused on the retina)

micturition reflex (relaxation of the urethral sphincter in response to increased pressure in the bladder)

gag reflex; pharyngeal reflex (normal reflex consisting of retching; may be produced by touching the soft palate in the back of the mouth)

goose bump; goose pimple; goose skin; goosebump; gooseflesh; horripilation; pilomotor reflex (reflex erection of hairs of the skin in response to cold or emotional stress or skin irritation)

plantar reflex (flexion of the toes when the sole of the foot is stroked firmly on the outer side from the heel to the front in persons over the age of 2 years; under 2 years the results should be extension of the toes (Babinski reflex))

rooting reflex (reflex consisting of head-turning and sucking movements elicited in a normal infant by gently stroking the side of the mouth or cheek)

jump; start; startle (a sudden involuntary movement)

myotactic reflex; stretch reflex (reflex contraction of a muscle when an attached tendon is pulled; important in maintaining erect posture)

suckling reflex (reflex behavior in newborn mammals; includes finding and grasping the nipple in the mouth and sucking on it and swallowing the milk)

shake; shiver; tremble (a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement)

sneeze; sneezing; sternutation (a symptom consisting of the involuntary expulsion of air from the nose)

mydriasis (reflex pupillary dilation as a muscle pulls the iris outward; occurs in response to a decrease in light or certain drugs)

light reflex; miosis; myosis; pupillary reflex (reflex contraction of the sphincter muscle of the iris in response to a bright light (or certain drugs) causing the pupil to become smaller)

knee jerk; knee-jerk reflex; patellar reflex (a reflex extension of the leg resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon)

Babinski; Babinski reflex; Babinski sign (extension upward of the toes when the sole of the foot is stroked firmly on the outer side from the heel to the front; normal in infants under the age of two years but a sign of brain or spinal cord injury in older persons)

belch; belching; burp; burping; eructation (a reflex that expels wind noisily from the stomach through the mouth)

blink; blinking; eye blink; nictation; nictitation; wink; winking (a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly)

blush; flush (sudden reddening of the face (as from embarrassment or guilt or shame or modesty))

disgorgement; emesis; puking; regurgitation; vomit; vomiting (the reflex act of ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth)

defecation reflex; rectal reflex (normal response to the presence of feces in the rectum)

oscitance; oscitancy; yawn; yawning (an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom)

electric shock; electrical shock; shock (a reflex response to the passage of electric current through the body)

breaking wind; fart; farting; flatus; wind (a reflex that expels intestinal gas through the anus)

gulp; gulping (a spasmodic reflex of the throat made as if in swallowing)

hiccough; hiccup; singultus ((usually plural) the state of having reflex spasms of the diaphragm accompanied by a rapid closure of the glottis producing an audible sound; sometimes a symptom of indigestion)

• REFLEX (adjective)

Meaning:

Without volition or conscious control

Synonyms:

reflex; reflexive; automatic

Context examples:

the automatic shrinking of the pupils of the eye in strong light / a reflex knee jerk / sneezing is reflexive

Similar:

involuntary (controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control)

Domain category:

physiology (the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms)