reflexive

/riˈflɛksɪv/

/rɪˈflɛksɪv/

Other forms: reflexively; reflexives

Something reflexive is completely involuntary. You can't help it. You might give a reflexive scream of fright if a bat flies in your face.

The adjective reflexive has two very different meanings. Something that's done automatically, without thought, is reflexive. Things that refer to themselves can also be called reflexive, especially certain parts of grammar, as in this sentence: "I took extra time to prepare myself for the test." Because myself refers back to I, it's a reflexive pronoun. There's even a reflexive genre of writing, metafiction, which can be described as "fiction about fiction."

Definitions of reflexive

1. adjective

   referring back to itself
   synonyms: self-referent

   backward

   directed or facing toward the back or rear
2. noun

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

   type of:

   personal pronoun

   a pronoun expressing a distinction of person
3. adjective

   without volition or conscious control
   “sneezing is reflexive”

   synonyms: automatic, reflex

   involuntary

   controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control