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in reaction to

in reaction to

10 3.6
As a response to something that happens
  • idiom
translation icon : en respuesta a
  • The community organized a vigil in reaction to the tragic events that took place last week.
  • in reaction to a threat
  • in reaction to an event
  • movement in reaction to

And, and so everybody is supposed to turn violent in reaction to their mistreatment.

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Examples

  • For example, some teachers' most intense and recurring stress responses might be in reaction to student behavior.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Terrorist movements often arise in reaction to an injustice, real or imagined, that they feel must be corrected.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Democracy can be active only in reaction to an active threat.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Women and men had been interviewed in reaction to items on The List.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The modern nursing profession evolved, to some degree, in reaction to its past.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Most active terrorist groups with a religious imperative were actually propelled into existence in reaction to key events.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Cost-cutting measures taken by administrators will be ongoing in reaction to the nation's ever-challenging economic situation.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Rosenberg referred to the program of conceptual artists adopted in reaction to the artistic currents of the 1950s.

    Academic text (1993)
  • A certain degree of Protestant unity was also manifest in reaction to the Gavazzi riot and the Corrigan murder.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Territorial populists rally supporters in reaction to the fragmentation of social cohesion for which reformist policies are blamed.

    Academic text (1994)

Antonyms

39 4.9

Not doing anything when something should be done

Surface Forms

Morphology

in + reaction + to

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'reaction' means a response and the prepositional frame 'in ... to' indicates the source or cause, so 'in reaction to' straightforwardly means 'as a response to'. This prepositional pattern is common across languages and follows regular English grammar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase in reaction to comes from the simple image of a quick reaction to a push or event. Imagine touching a hot pan and your hand jerks back in reaction to the heat, so the phrase means 'as a response to' something.