Pavlovian

[ pav-loh-vee-uhn, -law-, -lov-ee- ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Pavlov or his work, especially of experiments in which he elicited predictable responses from laboratory animals.

Pavlovian

/ pævˈləʊvɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the work of Ivan Pavlov
2. (of a reaction or response) automatic; involuntary

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pavlovian¹

First recorded in 1925–30; Pavlov + -ian

Example Sentences

But this Pavlovian trigger cannot be effective indefinitely.

From The Daily Beast

Could it just be that prison itself conditions a sort of pavlovian reaction to carve chess pieces?

From The Daily Beast

Contrary to the Pavlovian GOP notion of Clinton, she is generally centrist in her views and approach.

From The Daily Beast

Receiving a coffee-related gift triggers a Pavlovian response – elation, anticipation, a faux caffeine rush.

From The Daily Beast

I can assure you that already in the Pavlovian swamps of the nutso right, the glands are swelling.

From The Daily Beast

The question alerted the mechanism which produced the almost-Pavlovian loyalty response.

From Project Gutenberg