Pavlovian

adjective

Pav·​lov·​i·​an pav-ˈlȯ-vē-ən 

-ˈlō-;

-ˈlȯ-fē- 

1

: of or relating to Ivan Pavlov or to his work and theories

Pavlovian conditioning

2

: being or expressing a conditioned or predictable reaction : automatic

the candidates gave Pavlovian answers

Examples of Pavlovian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The clack-clack-clack of the spinning wheel and the announcing of the winning number tends to elicit a Pavlovian response from the audience. —David Andreatta, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025

After a decade, my body reacts in a Pavlovian way to its stimuli, the scroll of torsos, the dopamine of a red dot notification, a three-toned beep that perks you up in your chair. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 11 Feb. 2025

Nostalgia plays a part too, of course, as those of us who came of age in the VHS era have an almost Pavlovian response to the look and feel of those chunky black tapes. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025

Those who follow the teachings of Warren Buffett know only to invest via index funds in a Pavlovian fashion. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024

Every other outcome only reinforces his Pavlovian impulse to belittle, attack and dominate. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 May 2024

Hopefully, though, no one will subsequently suffer from a Pavlovian pee. —Sarah Nechamkin, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024

Just as red-leather booths and dark oak paneling trigger the Pavlovian expectation of a frigid martini and a glistening rib-eye, intimate counters from Omaha to Austin to Chicago to Denver promise a multicourse procession of jewel-like fish flown overnight from Japan. —Brett Anderson, New York Times, 21 May 2024

The regularity of her calls transformed me into a Pavlovian dog. —Cheryl Maguire, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Pavlovian

• jovian

Medical Definition

Pavlovian

adjective

Pav·​lov·​ian pav-ˈlȯ-vē-ən  -ˈlō-; -ˈlȯ-fē- 

: of or relating to Ivan Pavlov or to his work and theories

Pavlovian conditioning