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reactivity

reactivity

1 6.8
How quickly a person or thing responds to a stimulus like noise
  • noun
  • /riˈæktɪvɪti/
translation icon : reactividad
  • Experiences of having coped successfully will diminish reactivity and maladaptive thoughts in subsequent encounters with similar situations.
  • stress reactivity
  • emotional reactivity
  • physiological reactivity

And while you understood Sophia's reactivity, you didn't be with the hurt.

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Examples

  • The emails have maybe even increased, but your reactivity to them, the feeling of stress towards them goes down a few numbers.

  • Further, more information is needed on the particular biological pathways via which heightened reactivity leads to various health problems.

    Academic text (1996)
  • And I have my moments of, like, reactivity that get away from me way less frequently than I used to.

  • But we first need to make sure that we as parents are not doing that out of blind reactivity, out of blind ego.

  • They will acknowledge that their reactivity is causing them more harm than good.

  • So far, we have noted the importance of emotional reactivity and self-regulation in processing information in the experiential system.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Individual differences in temperamental reactivity and self-regulation influence variations in processing information in the experiential system.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The scientist measured the chemical's reactivity to determine how it would change when exposed to air.

  • High emotional reactivity can lead to difficulty in managing stress and responding appropriately to challenges.

  • The child showed a remarkable reactivity to new experiences, often exhibiting excitement or anxiety when faced with change.

Synonyms

sensitivity
vsreactivity
  • Specialized
15 4.2

The body's ability to feel things like touch or light

is broader, stressing responsiveness to many external influences beyond perception
susceptibility
vsreactivity
11 7.1

A state of being easily affected or harmed by something

is a neutral responsiveness to stimulation rather than a vulnerability to harm
responsiveness
vsreactivity
9 4.3

A quick, helpful reaction that shows attention or interest

is broader, covering any reaction to external influence not only positive ones
sensibility
vsreactivity
8 6.6

Ability to feel physical things like touch or pain

is more about active change when influenced rather than passive sensing
excitability
vsreactivity
  • Specialized
1 7.5

Unusually sensitive to small physical signals in a nerve or muscle

is the neutral quality of being responsive without implying excessiveness
reactiveness
vsreactivity
5.3

Being quick to respond to changes

is the more common or standard wording for the same quality
responsivity
vsreactivity
7.7

How quickly and strongly something reacts to a change

focuses more on the general quality of being influenced rather than measurement
sensitiveness
vsreactivity
6.8

Ability to feel or notice very small physical changes

applies more widely to reaction to various external influences, not only slight ones
arousability
vsreactivity
  • Specialized
8.7

How easily someone wakes up or becomes alert

is about general responsiveness to external influence rather than ease of awakening
affectability
vsreactivity
9.6

Being easily influenced by other people's feelings or ideas

is the neutral capacity to respond to stimulation rather than susceptibility to influence

Antonyms

16 5.5

A lack of care for other people's feelings or needs

Not reacting to people or events, often without emotion

How Responsive

reactivity
1 6.8
sluggishness
4 4.4

Surface Forms

reactivity singular
reactivities plural

Morphology

reactivity = reactive (transparent) = react + ive + ity

Derived by standard suffixation from the adjective 'reactive' to form a noun meaning 'the quality of being reactive'.

Etymology

Reactivity comes from the parts re- 'back/again' and act 'do', with -ivity turning it into a 'quality'. So when we talk about a person's reactivity, we mean how quickly or strongly they 'respond' to sounds, touch, or other changes.