Pavlovian response

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s like hearing the sizzle of fajitas being paraded through a dining room, creating a Pavlovian response.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024

It elicits a Pavlovian response in any ’90s kid, but to a child of the 2020s, it’s like nails on a chalkboard.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2023

For others, the songs can trigger an almost Pavlovian response.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2022

“If there’s two words that make me kind of have a Pavlovian response and memory of being a child and running around, it’s ‘licorice’ and ‘pizza,’” Anderson says.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2021

I have an instant Pavlovian response to it, remembering how I’d felt sitting in church with him looking at me through it.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson