reflective
adjective
re·flec·tive
ri-ˈflek-tiv 
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
5
: reflecting something : indicative
how fashion is reflective of society—
Glenda Bailey
Glenda Bailey
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
The city of Alameda, Calif., halted an experiment to spray sea-salt particles skyward to make clouds more reflective.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
For far too long, hearing folks have co-opted and told our stories, and 100% of them are not reflective of our experiences.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 19 May 2025
In contrast, the new University of Illinois study lowered that to 1.2 grams, which is reflective of how much protein Americans tend to consume per day and is still 50% higher than the U.S. recommendations.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 May 2025
UniSA's pilot project will see two models each made up of 16 coated mirror panels with a special multilayer aluminum-silica reflective coating to help generate thermal energy at those high temperatures.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reflective
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Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
For far too long, hearing folks have co-opted and told our stories, and 100% of them are not reflective of our experiences.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 19 May 2025
In contrast, the new University of Illinois study lowered that to 1.2 grams, which is reflective of how much protein Americans tend to consume per day and is still 50% higher than the U.S. recommendations.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 May 2025
UniSA's pilot project will see two models each made up of 16 coated mirror panels with a special multilayer aluminum-silica reflective coating to help generate thermal energy at those high temperatures.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reflective
Cite this Entry
“Reflective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflective. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reflective
adjective
re·flec·tive
ri-ˈflek-tiv
1
: capable of reflecting light, images, or sound waves
2
: marked by reflection : thoughtful
3
: of, relating to, or caused by reflection
reflectively
adverb
reflectiveness
noun
reflectivity
noun
ˌrē-ˌflek-ˈtiv-ət-ē
ri-
Medical Definition
reflective
adjective
re·flec·tive
ri-ˈflek-tiv
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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