Pavlovian

//pævˈloʊvi.ən// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to the theories of the Russian physiologist, psychologist, and physician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, especially those related to behavioral conditioning. not-comparable

    "A mere glance at the plot descriptions of the show’s fourth season is enough to induce Pavlovian giggle fits and shivers of joy."

  2. 2
    Alternative form of Pavlovian. alt-of, alternative
Adjective
  1. 1
    of or relating to Ivan Pavlov or his experiments wordnet

Example

More examples

"A mere glance at the plot descriptions of the show’s fourth season is enough to induce Pavlovian giggle fits and shivers of joy."

Etymology

Named after Russian physiologist, psychologist, and physician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov.

Related phrases

Pavlovian conditioningneo-Pavlovianneo-Pavlovianism

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.