What does "reaction" mean?
An action or statement in response to a stimulus or other event.
Reaction
/ɹiˈækʃən/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An action or statement in response to a stimulus or other event.
- Grammar: reaction is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: response, acknowledgment, action, action and reaction.
- Useful contrasts: no reaction, apathy, forestalling.
- Usage evidence: Observe his facial reaction when we mention a price.
How to use "reaction"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reaction" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "reaction" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "reaction" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "reaction" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "reaction" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "response" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "reaction", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An action or statement in response to a stimulus or other event.
"The announcement of the verdict brought a violent reaction."
- 2 doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like wordnet
- 3 A transformation in which one or more substances is converted into another by combination or decomposition.
"In this reaction, the acid and base will neutralize each other, producing a salt."
- 4 a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some antecedent stimulus or agent wordnet
- 5 Reactionary politics; a period in which reactionary thought or politics is resurgent or dominant.
"And as Europe advanced year by year more deeply into the low featureless plains of reaction, censorship and mediocrity and the pestilential swamps of poverty, unhappiness and oppression, the image of the liberating revolution became ever more luminous."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 an idea evoked by some experience wordnet
- 7 Unpurposeful behavior. Austrian
- 8 extreme conservatism in political or social matters wordnet
- 9 An icon or emoji appended to a posted message by a user to express their feeling about it. Internet
- 10 a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude wordnet
- 11 (mechanics) the equal and opposite force that is produced when any force is applied to a body wordnet
- 12 (chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Observe his facial reaction when we mention a price."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reaction"?
Common synonyms include: response, acknowledgment, action, action and reaction, aeromotor, affect.
How do you use "reaction" in a sentence?
Observe his facial reaction when we mention a price.
How do you pronounce "reaction"?
Pronounced /ɹiˈækʃən/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English reaccion, from Old French reaction, from Latin reāctiō, from the verb reagō, from re- (“again”) + agō (“to act”); more at re-, action; equivalent to react + -ion.