reflexive

See also: réflexive

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin reflexīvus, from Latin reflexus.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rəflĕk'sĭv, IPA^(key): /ɹəˈflɛksɪv/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

Adjective

reflexive (not comparable)

1. (grammar) Referring back to the subject, or having an object equal to the subject.
2. (mathematics) Of a relation R on a set S, such that xRx for all members x of S (that is, the relation holds between any element of the set and itself).

   "Equals" is a reflexive relation, as it holds for all possible x; "not less" is non-reflexive because it is true only for some x and y, "unequal" is irreflexive, as it never holds between x and itself.

3. Of or resulting from a reflex.

   The electric shock elicited an automatic and reflexive response from him.

4. (figurative) Producing immediate response, spontaneous.

   a reflexive dislike

5. Synonym of reflective

Antonyms

• irreflexive, non-reflexive, nonreflexive

Derived terms

• reflexive law
• reflexive possessive
• reflexive possessive pronoun
• reflexive pronoun
• reflexive statement
• reflexive verb
• reflexivity

 

Related terms

• (set theory): symmetric
• (set theory): transitive
• irreflexive

Translations

in grammar

• Belarusian: зваро́тны (zvarótny)
• Bulgarian: възвра́тен (bg) (vǎzvráten)
• Catalan: reflexiu (ca)
• Czech: zvratný
• Dutch: wederkerend (nl)
• Faroese: afturbendur
• Finnish: refleksiivinen (fi)
• French: réfléchi (fr)
• Georgian: უკუქცევითი (uḳukceviti)
• German: rückbezüglich (de), reflexiv (de)
• Greek: αυτοπαθής (el) (aftopathís)
• Hungarian: visszaható (hu)
• Icelandic: afturbeygður (is)
• Irish: aisfhillteach, frithluaileach
• Japanese: 再帰的 (saiki-teki)
• Lithuanian: sangrąžinis (lt)
• Macedonian: рефлексивен (refleksiven)
• Mongolian: эгэх (mn) (egex)
• Norwegian: refleksiv (no)
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: zwrotny (pl)
• Portuguese: reflexivo (pt)
• Romanian: reflexiv (ro)
• Romansch: reflexiv
• Russian: возвра́тный (ru) (vozvrátnyj), рефлекси́вный (ru) (refleksívnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: ath-fhillteach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: повратан

  Roman: povratan (sh)

• Slovak: zvratný
• Slovene: povraten
• Spanish: reflexivo (es)
• Swedish: reflexiv (sv)
• Turkish: dönüşlü (tr)
• Ukrainian: зворо́тний (uk) (zvorótnyj)
• Zazaki: çerxın

in mathematics

• Czech: reflexivní (cs)
• Finnish: refleksiivinen (fi)
• German: reflexiv (de)
• Icelandic: sjálfhverfur, spegilvirkur
• Japanese: 反射的 (はんしゃてき, hanshateki)
• Polish: zwrotny (pl)
• Portuguese: reflexivo (pt)
• Romanian: reflexiv (ro)
• Russian: рефлекси́вный (ru) (refleksívnyj)
• Slovene: refleksíven
• Swedish: reflexiv (sv)
• Tagalog: pabalik

resulting from a reflex

• Bulgarian: рефлективен (reflektiven)
• Czech: reflexivní (cs)
• Greek: αντανακλαστικός (el) (antanaklastikós)

Noun

reflexive (plural reflexives)

1. (grammar) A reflexive pronoun.
2. (grammar) A reflexive verb.

Translations

reflexive pronoun — see reflexive pronoun

reflexive verb — see reflexive verb

See also

• (verb): active, passive, neuter, transitive, intransitive

Further reading

• reflexive on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Reflexive pronoun on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Reflexive verb on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

reflexive

1. inflection of reflexiv:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Latin

Etymology 1

Adverb

reflexīvē (not comparable)

1. reflexively

Etymology 2

Adjective

reflexīve

1. vocative masculine singular of reflexīvus