reflection
- 01 A2 Elementary
the image you see when you look in a mirror or at a shiny surface like water.
an image produced by a mirror or other reflective surface.
Simple“He stopped to look at his reflection in the shop window.”
In context“The mountain's snowy peak was perfectly captured in the still reflection of the lake below.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the way that light, heat, or sound hits a surface and bounces back.
the return of light, heat, or sound waves from a surface.
Simple“The white walls help with the reflection of light in the dark room.”
In context“The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, a fundamental principle in the study of optics.”
SynonymsreverberationechoAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
careful and deep thought about something that happened in the past.
serious thought or consideration; the cognitive process of reviewing past experiences or ideas.
Simple“After some reflection, she decided to apologize for her mistake.”
In context“On closer reflection, the manager realized that the initial failure was actually due to a lack of clear communication within the team.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
something that shows the true nature or condition of a person or situation.
a manifestation or outcome that serves as a representative indicator of a specific condition or trait.
Simple“The high grades are a reflection of how hard the students worked.”
In context“The decline in local crime rates is a direct reflection of the new community outreach programmes implemented last year.”
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
the ability of a computer program to examine and change its own structure while it is running.
the process by which a computer program can observe and modify its own structure and behavior at runtime.
Simple“The developer used reflection to inspect the properties of the object.”
In context“Using reflection allows the framework to instantiate classes dynamically without knowing their names at compile time.”
Synonyms - 06 C2 Proficiency
a part of a body structure that is folded back on itself.
the folding back of a part or a membrane upon itself.
Simple“The doctor pointed to the reflection of the membrane in the diagram.”
In context“The surgical procedure required careful dissection near the peritoneal reflection to avoid damaging the underlying organs.”
Usage accurate reflection · direct reflection · reflection direct
“The paper also quotes the prime minister: "It's a moment of reflection, reflecting on how much things came to this".”
“UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the death of a high-profile Black academic accused of plagiarism and falsifying his achievements should serve as a “moment of reflection”.”
From Middle French reflexion, reflection, and its source Late Latin reflexio, from the participle stem of reflectō. The current spelling is influenced by reflect. Equivalent to reflect + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.