protective reaction
- noun
- /prəˈtɛktɪv riˈækʃən/
:
reacción protectora
- The child's tears were a protective reaction to the sudden loud noise.
Examples
-
Lastly, it appears you mask unnecessary fear as a protective reaction.
Blog text (16) -
His instinctual jump back was a protective reaction when the dog barked at him.
-
Covering her head in fear was a protective reaction during the storm.
Synonyms
460
1.4
Protection from attack, danger, harm, or illness
230
3.5
Protecting yourself from being hurt, often by using force
61
4.0
A way to protect someone or something from harm
32
3.9
A natural desire to protect yourself from harm
7
3.4
Actions or things people use to keep themselves safe
6
4.9
A quick move to avoid danger
2
4.2
Act of protecting people or things from harm
1
7.9
An act of driving attackers back from a place
Antonyms
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an action or response intended to keep someone safe' is directly derivable from combining 'protective' (intended to protect) with 'reaction' (a response), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE. The adjective+noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern; at worst a learner who thinks of 'reaction' only in a medical sense may momentarily narrow the interpretation, but the overall meaning remains transparent.
Etymology
Protective reaction comes from a simple image: someone quickly stepping between danger and a child or friend to stop harm. Because protective means to guard and reaction means a fast response, the phrase now means 'an action to keep someone safe'.