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reflective

adjective
re·​flec·​tive | \ ri-ˈflek-tiv How to pronounce reflective (audio) \

Definition of reflective

1 : capable of reflecting light, images, or sound waves
2 : marked by reflection : thoughtful, deliberative
3 : of, relating to, or caused by reflection reflective glare
4 : reflexive sense 3
5 : reflecting something : indicative how fashion is reflective of society— Glenda Bailey
Other Words from reflective Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about reflective

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Other Words from reflective

reflectively adverb
reflectiveness noun

Did You Know?

Reflective people are people who reflect on things--that is, look back at things that have been done or said in order to think calmly and quietly about them. Most reflective people would agree with Socrates that (as he told the jury that would soon sentence him to death) "The unexamined life is not worth living". Reflective people tend to be a bit philosophical and intellectual. But almost everyone has reflective moods; gazing into a fireplace or a campfire seems to do it to almost everyone.

Examples of reflective in a Sentence

the reflective glare of the shiny metal She was in a very reflective mood.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Kukawka also recommends keeping feeders and birdbaths away from windows and other reflective surfaces. — cleveland.com, "Cleveland Metroparks partner with Ohio Lights Out to promote bird-friendly buildings," 2 Sep. 2019 But as soon as players walk into rooms set off by reflective surfaces and more diverse materials, the effect is absolutely stunning. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Review: Control is Remedy’s best game yet—and a ray tracing masterpiece," 26 Aug. 2019 The update involved improving the realism of lighting and shadows, more reflective surfaces, and other graphical upgrades that coincidentally appear to be achievable through ray tracing. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Minecraft will get ray tracing for Nvidia RTX graphics cards," 19 Aug. 2019 Water, glass and other reflective surfaces show accurate real-time reflections, mirroring their surroundings. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Real-time ray tracing is coming to Minecraft on Windows 10, and it looks stunning," 19 Aug. 2019 These developments would be logical to Osborn, whom Puccio characterizes as highly reflective and awake to both the triumphs and failures of brainstorming in the lab at his disposal: BBDO. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "The man who gave us brainstorming meetings did his best thinking alone," 6 Aug. 2019 To deter green iguanas, the commission suggests homeowners fill in holes to discourage burrowing, hang wind chimes or CDs with reflective surfaces or spray the animals with water. — Michelle Lou, CNN, "Florida officials clarify that they don't want people to go out and kill green iguanas 'whenever possible'," 27 July 2019 Instead, Lil Nas got placed in the New Artist category; respectable, but truly reflective of his tremendous accomplishments over 2019? — Aja Romano, Vox, "MTV added a K-pop award to the VMAs. BTS fans think it’s a way of excluding the band.," 24 July 2019 Based on folk tunes the composer heard in Russia's Caucasus mountains, this got playing alternately gutsy, reflective and pertly playful; irresistible start to finish; from Thompson, Rose, DerHovsepian and Taylor. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, "Enterprising programs open another season for Fort Worth's Mimir Chamber Music Festival," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reflective.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of reflective

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for reflective

reflective

adjective
How to pronounce reflective (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of reflective

: causing light, sound, or heat to move away : reflecting light, sound, or heat
: relating to or caused by light that reflects off a surface
: thinking carefully about something

See the full definition for reflective in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reflective

adjective
re·​flec·​tive | \ ri-ˈflek-tiv How to pronounce reflective (audio) \

Medical Definition of reflective

1 : capable of reflecting light, images, or sound waves
2 : of, relating to, or caused by reflection reflective glare of the snow

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More from Merriam-Webster on reflective

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with reflective

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reflective

Spanish Central: Translation of reflective

Nglish: Translation of reflective for Spanish Speakers

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