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.

Origin of Pavlovian

1
First recorded in 1925–30; Pavlov + -ian

Words Nearby Pavlovian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Pavlovian in a sentence

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

    General Max Shorter | Kris Ottman Neville

British Dictionary definitions for Pavlovian

Pavlovian

/ (pævˈləʊvɪən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to the work of Ivan Pavlov

  2. (of a reaction or response) automatic; involuntary

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