Pavlovian

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Pavlovian Drivers build lives around parking: the work shifts altered to align with the alternate-side-rotation hours, the keys always in the pocket, the Pavlovian alertness at the chirp of an unlocking car. Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 After a decade, my body reacts in a Pavlovian way to its stimuli, the scroll of torsos, the dopamine of a red dot notification, a three-toned beep that perks you up in your chair. Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 11 Feb. 2025 Those who follow the teachings of Warren Buffett know only to invest via index funds in a Pavlovian fashion. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024 The clack-clack-clack of the spinning wheel and the announcing of the winning number tends to elicit a Pavlovian response from the audience. David Andreatta, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025 After a decade, my body reacts in a Pavlovian way to its stimuli, the scroll of torsos, the dopamine of a red dot notification, a three-toned beep that perks you up in your chair. Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 11 Feb. 2025 Nostalgia plays a part too, of course, as those of us who came of age in the VHS era have an almost Pavlovian response to the look and feel of those chunky black tapes. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025 Those who follow the teachings of Warren Buffett know only to invest via index funds in a Pavlovian fashion. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024 Every other outcome only reinforces his Pavlovian impulse to belittle, attack and dominate. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pavlovian
Adjective
  • The Loewe Grand inicio is a powerful two-way speaker with a bass reflex system and is available as a floor-standing speaker.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • Apart from the reflex response to a jump scare, the purpose of almost any horror movie is to disturb you.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • Mercury trine Pluto encourages you to dig deep into your subconscious mind and explore what’s lingering beneath the surface.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 27 May 2025
  • The downside is that there is a potential conflict of interest since there can be a subconscious propensity to want the AI to be a success.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Friday’s raid was the latest — and perhaps most brazen — attack, not only for its visceral impact on everyday San Diegans, but for its audacious disregard of our most cherished constitutional protections.
    Andrew Nietor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2025
  • The visceral energy of the anger of this guy in a clown suit is the stuff of nightmares.
    Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • As the protagonist Ben in Night of the Living Dead (1968), Duane Jones unveiled a distinct facet of pre-conditioned Black martyrdom.
    Malik Peay, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2023
  • Is the show of regret a conditioned response associated with receiving a less severe punishment?
    Charlotte Hu, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2011
Adjective
  • That was intentional, but a little bit more subliminal.
    Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 May 2025
  • Among the greatest risks of AI, according to experts and the people interviewed for this story, are questionable veracity (deepfakes and misinformation), subliminal manipulation of human behavior, lack of diverse opinions, invasion of privacy, lack of transparency and concentration of power.
    Jennifer Green, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • Many professionals often sense it as a creeping loss of perspective—when enthusiasm fades, originality wanes and decision making becomes reactive.
    Rob Robinson, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • Expert advice Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in power banks, are filled with materials which are highly reactive and highly flammable, according to Sonya Brown, senior lecturer in aerospace design at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
    Francesca Street, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • During his new stand-up special, Jamie tearfully recounts his medical emergency that left him being unconscious for 20 days and waking up in a wheelchair.
    Sharareh Drury, People.com, 2 June 2025
  • Authorities found the vehicle’s driver unconscious and not breathing, police said.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • But Spurs came in through the Champions League backdoor this week, beating Manchester United in the final of the second-tier European tournament, the Europa League, to win an automatic UCL slot.
    Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 25 May 2025
  • The future of a human-humanoid future can not be left in the hands of international organisations alone, nor can it be considered as the automatic outcome of private sector progress.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pavlovian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pavlovian. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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