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reflexive
[ ri-flek-siv ]
adjective
- Grammar.
- (of a verb) taking a subject and object with identical referents, as shave in I shave myself.
- (of a pronoun) used as an object to refer to the subject of a verb, as myself in I shave myself.
- reflex; responsive.
- able to reflect; reflective.
- Mathematics.
- noting a relation in which each element is in relation to itself, as the relation “less than or equal to.” Compare antireflexive.
- (of a vector space) having the property that the dual space of the dual space of the given vector space equals the given vector space.
noun
- Grammar. a reflexive verb or pronoun.
reflexive
/ rɪˈflɛksɪv; ˌriːflɛkˈsɪvɪtɪ /
adjective
- denoting a class of pronouns that refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause. Thus, in the sentence that man thinks a great deal of himself , the pronoun himself is reflexive
- denoting a verb used transitively with the reflexive pronoun as its direct object, as the French se lever "to get up" (literally "to raise oneself") or English to dress oneself
- physiol of or relating to a reflex
- logic maths (of a relation) holding between any member of its domain and itself Compare irreflexive nonreflexive
"… is a member of the same family as …" is reflexive
noun
- a reflexive pronoun or verb
reflexive
- Of or relating to a mathematical or logical relation such that, for any given element, that element has the given relation to itself. Equality in mathematics is a reflexive relation, since a = a for all a, whereas the relation of being 'less than' is not, since it is not true that a
Derived Forms
- ˈڱ澱Ա, noun
- ˈڱ澱, adverb
Other Word Forms
- ·ڱi· adverb
- ·ڱi·Ա ·ڱ···ٲ [ree-flek-, siv, -i-tee], noun
- i··ڱi adjective
- semi··ڱi· adverb
- semi··ڱi·Ա noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of reflexive1
Example Sentences
"Hacks" retains its sharpness by defying reflexive expectations of cause and effect, especially when it comes to gendered considerations of power.
Despite his stepfather’s activism, Spencer was not a reflexive Republican.
As president, Carter tried to nudge American foreign policy away from its reflexive Cold War dualism toward an emphasis on human rights.
Given that the housing crisis is a front-and-center issue throughout the country, whether or not the president-elect reflexively favors housing development is an important question.
On the other side: scofflaws who condemn the forest service as another “useless” government agency reflexively shutting things down in the name of “safety” at the expense of freedom.
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