REFLEX

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (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)

Sense 1

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; reflex action; reflex response; unconditioned reflex

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

jump; start; startle (a sudden involuntary movement)

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)

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))

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

Derivation:

reflex (without volition or conscious control)

• REFLEX (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Without volition or conscious control

Synonyms:

automatic; reflex; reflexive

Context example:

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)

Derivation:

reflex (an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus)

 Context examples 

This agent also suppresses the chemical-induced cough reflex as well as protects lung tissues from damages caused by cigarette smoking mediated through free radicals scavenging.

(Erdosteine, NCI Thesaurus)

Coughing is a reflex that keeps your throat and airways clear.

(Cough, NIH)

It is a normal reflex up to the age of two.

(Babinski Sign, NCI Thesaurus)

Its acts more strongly on beta-receptors than on alpha 1-receptors, reduces peripheral vascular resistance by vasodilation, and prevents reflex tachycardia (beta-blockade) so that heart rate is either unchanged or decreased.

(Carvedilol, NCI Thesaurus)

Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) Physical assessment; right ankle reflexes.

(MNSI - Right Ankle Reflexes, NCI Thesaurus)

Primitive reflex actions that newborns display in response to specific stimuli.

(Infant Reflex, NCI Thesaurus)

Signs and symptoms include difficulty walking, sensory disturbances, lack of motor coordination and abnormal reflexes in the limbs.

(Giant Axonal Neuropathy, NCI Thesaurus)

Lucy is sleeping soundly; the reflex of the dawn is high and far over the sea....

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

A reflex initiated by a painful stimulus.

(Nociceptive Reflex, NCI Thesaurus)

This reflex is present until six months of age.

(Grasp Reflex, NCI Thesaurus)