Pavlovian

American

[pav-loh-vee-uhn, -law-, -lov-ee-] / pævˈloʊ vi ən, -ˈlɔ-, -ˈlɒv i- /

adjective

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

Pavlovian British

/ pævˈləʊvɪən /

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Pavlovian

First recorded in 1925–30; Pavlov + -ian

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To better understand this relationship, researchers studied rodent brain tissue and monitored the behavior of rats during Pavlovian cue-reward tests.

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

Thus the journalism world is having one hell of a difficult time communicating with its audience — unless we lace our news with Pavlovian cues.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

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

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024

It meant less liberation from the office and more never not working, creating a Pavlovian response to the clicks, dings and buzzes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2023

Obviously continual response to the music had developed within them an almost Pavlovian response to the noise, a response which they believed was pleasure.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023