reflexive
[ ri-flek-siv ]
/ rɪˈflɛk sɪv /
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adjective
Grammar.
- (of a verb) taking a subject and object with identical referents, as shave in I shave myself.
- (of a pronoun) used as an object to refer to the subject of a verb, as myself in I shave myself.
reflex; responsive.
able to reflect; reflective.
Mathematics.
- noting a relation in which each element is in relation to itself, as the relation “less than or equal to.”Compare antireflexive.
- (of a vector space) having the property that the dual space of the dual space of the given vector space equals the given vector space.
noun
Grammar. a reflexive verb or pronoun.
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Origin of reflexive
OTHER WORDS FROM reflexive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use reflexive in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for reflexive
reflexive
/ (rɪˈflɛksɪv) /
adjective
denoting a class of pronouns that refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause. Thus, in the sentence that man thinks a great deal of himself, the pronoun himself is reflexive
denoting a verb used transitively with the reflexive pronoun as its direct object, as the French se lever "to get up" (literally "to raise oneself") or English to dress oneself
physiol of or relating to a reflex
logic maths (of a relation) holding between any member of its domain and itself"… is a member of the same family as …" is reflexive Compare irreflexive, nonreflexive
noun
a reflexive pronoun or verb
Derived forms of reflexive
reflexively, adverbreflexiveness or reflexivity (ˌriːflɛkˈsɪvɪtɪ), nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for reflexive
reflexive
[ rĭ-flĕk′sĭv ]
Of or relating to a mathematical or logical relation such that, for any given element, that element has the given relation to itself. Equality in mathematics is a reflexive relation, since a = a for all a, whereas the relation of being 'less than' is not, since it is not true that a < a for any a.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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