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reaction - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'reaction' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Reaction [ n.]
- Any action in resisting other action or force; counter tendency; movement in a contrary direction; reverse action.
- The mutual or reciprocal action of chemical agents upon each other, or the action upon such chemical agents of some form of energy, as heat, light, or electricity, resulting in a chemical change in one or more of these agents, with the production of new compounds or the manifestation of distinctive characters. See Blowpipe reaction, Flame reaction, under Blowpipe, and Flame.
- An action induced by vital resistance to some other action; depression or exhaustion of vital force consequent on overexertion or overstimulation; heightened activity and overaction succeeding depression or shock.
- The force which a body subjected to the action of a force from another body exerts upon the latter body in the opposite direction.
- Backward tendency or movement after revolution, reform, or great progress in any direction.

Meaning of 'reaction' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . reaction [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some antecedent stimulus or agent
Example in sentence:
  • a bad reaction to the medicine;
  • his responses have slowed with age
Meaning (2):
- (mechanics) the equal and opposite force that is produced when any force is applied to a body
Example in sentence:
  • every action has an equal and opposite reaction
Meaning (3):
- a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude
Example in sentence:
  • he was pleased by the audience's reaction to his performance;
  • John feared his mother's reaction when she saw the broken lamp
Meaning (4):
- an idea evoked by some experience
Example in sentence:
  • his reaction to the news was to start planning what to do
Meaning (5):
- doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like
Example in sentence:
  • his style of painting was a reaction against cubism
Meaning (6):
- extreme conservatism in political or social matters
Example in sentence:
  • the forces of reaction carried the election
Meaning (7):
- (chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others
Example in sentence:
  • there was a chemical reaction of the lime with the ground water

Nearby Words:

reabsorb reabsorption reaccess reaccuse reach reachable reached reacher reaching reachless

See 'reaction' also in:

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Related Definitions

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