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

Is the press merely operating in Pavlovian fashion, in the same manner they clean up grammar and usage according to the AP style manual?

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He seems to enjoy repeating the line because it elicits cheers from his audiences, who react as if in the grip of a Pavlovian reflex.

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It’s like hearing the sizzle of fajitas being paraded through a dining room, creating a Pavlovian response.

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"There is a French particularity which leads politicians - in an almost Pavlovian way - to look for a constitutional change each time they want to signal the importance they attach to an issue," Levade laments.

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It’s probably unwise to reach for too much meaning from an assemblage of Pavlovian internet clicks.

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