behavior

[ bih-heyv-yer ]

noun

1. manner of behaving or acting.

   Synonyms: carriage, bearing, demeanor

2. Psychology, Animal Behavior.
   1. observable activity in a human or animal.
   2. the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.
   3. a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship dance or startle reflex.
3. Often be·hav·iors. a behavior pattern.
4. the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances:

   the behavior of tin under heat.

behavior

/ bĭ-hāv′yər /

1. The actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment.
2. One of these actions. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct , while others (such as hunting) must be learned.
3. The manner in which a physical system, such as a gas, subatomic particle, or ecosystem, acts or functions, especially under specified conditions.

Other Words From

• be·hav·ior·al adjective
• in·ter·be·hav·ior noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of behavior¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; behave ( def ) + -ior (on model of havior, variant of havor, from Middle French (h)avoir “a having,” ultimately from Latin habēre “to have”); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver; -or ¹( def )

Idioms and Phrases

see on one's best behavior .

Synonym Study

Behavior, conduct, deportment, comportment refer to one's actions before or toward others, especially on a particular occasion. Behavior refers to actions usually measured by commonly accepted standards: His behavior at the party was childish. Conduct refers to actions viewed collectively, especially as measured by an ideal standard: Conduct is judged according to principles of ethics. Deportment is behavior related to a code or to an arbitrary standard: Deportment is guided by rules of etiquette. The teacher gave Susan a mark of B in deportment. Comportment is behavior as viewed from the standpoint of one's management of one's own actions: His comportment was marked by a quiet assurance.

Example Sentences

It learns what normal behavior looks like from an operations system when it interacts with the network, such as what systems it interacts with and which individual employees tend to access it.

From TechCrunch

“The problem is that a lot of universities are acting like the only thing you can rely on on is behavior change on the part of students without calling out the responsibility of the universities themselves,” says Jha.

From Fortune

Approximating the complex behavior of fields often gave nonsensical, infinite answers that made some theorists think field theories might be a dead end.

From Quanta Magazine

One intriguing finding from these studies suggests that only certain childhood temperaments influence teenage personality and behavior.

From Science News

They need to change their menus, websites, and social media strategies—and ultimately, they need to elicit a change in consumer behavior, which takes time.

From Fortune

Anger often manifests in withholders as another self-destructive but more socially acceptable feeling or behavior, like anxiety.

From The Daily Beast

The team tracked individuals from afar to get a sense of their behavior.

From The Daily Beast

But it looks like it was created by crazed person with obsessive-compulsive behavior.

From The Daily Beast

They seem to belong to us, and then they freely go—behavior very uncharacteristic of a shadow or a shoe.

From The Daily Beast

The idea is to reveal human nature and behavior with your camera moves.

From The Daily Beast

Moreover, most of the burrows were only a few feet apart and no agonistic behavior was witnessed.

From Project Gutenberg

He had been very silent all the morning, but Bessie's heart was so full that she had taken little notice of his behavior.

From Project Gutenberg

They still hold my wife and children as hostages for my good behavior.

From Project Gutenberg

This word struck the tutor, who saw there was some mystery in this behavior, and he looked at the speaker with admiration.

From Project Gutenberg

He came the next day; I felt that my behavior must have seemed strange, and I excused it on the ground of my affection for Daphne.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• act
• action
• attitude
• conduct
• demeanor
• management
• nature
• performance
• practice
• presence
• role
• style