Pronunciation: ri- ' flek-siv
Function: adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin reflexivus, from Latin reflexus
Date: 1640
1 a : directed or turned back on itself also : overtly and usually ironically reflecting conventions of genre or form <a reflexive novel> b : marked by or capable of reflection : REFLECTIVE
2 : of, relating to, characterized by, or being a relation that exists between an entity and itself <the relation “ is equal to ” is reflexive but the relation “ is the father of ” is not>
3 : of, relating to, or constituting an action (as in “ he perjured himself ” ) directed back on the agent or the grammatical subject
4 : characterized by habitual and unthinking behavior
– re · flex · ive · ly adverb
– re · flex · ive · ness noun
– re · flex · iv · i · ty \ ˌ r ē - ˌ flek- ' si-v ə -t ē , ri- \ noun