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Definition of Reflexive in English :

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Reflexive meaning in English

Meaning of Reflexive in English

Pronunciation of Reflexive in English

Reflexive pronunciation in English

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Reflexive

see synonyms of reflexive

Noun

1. reflexive, reflexive pronoun

a personal pronoun compounded with -self to show the agent's action affects the agent

Adjective

2. automatic, reflex, reflexive

without volition or conscious control

Example Sentences:
'the automatic shrinking of the pupils of the eye in strong light'
'a reflex knee jerk'
'sneezing is reflexive'

3. reflexive, self-referent

referring back to itself

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Reflexive

see synonyms of reflexive
adjective
1. 
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
2. 
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
3. physiology
of or relating to a reflex
4. logic, mathematics
(of a relation) holding between any member of its domain and itself
"… is a member of the same family as …" is reflexive
Compare irreflexive, nonreflexive
noun
5. 
a reflexive pronoun or verb

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Reflexive

see synonyms of reflexive
adjective
1.  Rare
a. 
reflex
b. 
reflective
2. 
having to do with the act or process of reflecting
3. 
of or having to do with a thematic concern in a work of art, writing, etc., with the creative process of making or appreciating that work
4.  Grammar
a. 
designating or expressing a grammatical relation in which a verb's subject and an object in the sentence refer to the same person or thing, serving to indicate that the action of the verb is directed back to the subject (Ex.: “Gary hurt himself,” “Jane threw a party for herself”)
b. 
designating a verb, pronoun, etc. in such a relation
noun
5. 
a reflexive verb or pronoun

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Reflexive

see synonyms of reflexive
adj.
1. Directed back on itself.
2. Grammar
a. Of, relating to, or being a verb having an identical subject and direct object, as dressed in the sentence She dressed herself.
b. Of, relating to, or being the pronoun used as the direct object of a reflexive verb, as herself in She dressed herself.
3. Of or relating to a reflex.
4. Elicited automatically; spontaneous: "a bid for ... reflexive left-wing approval" (Marshall Delaney).
n.
Grammar
A reflexive verb or pronoun. See Usage Note at myself.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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