reflective
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
describing a surface that sends back light, heat, or sound.
capable of reflecting light, heat, or sound; returning energy to its source.
Simple“Cyclists often wear reflective vests so that drivers can see them at night.”
In context“The building's reflective glass facade was designed to reduce heat absorption during the peak summer months, significantly lowering cooling costs.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
thinking quietly and seriously about things that happened in the past.
characterised by or given to deep, serious, or contemplative thought.
Simple“After the long trip, he was in a reflective mood and thought about his future.”
In context“The author's latest memoir is deeply reflective, offering a nuanced analysis of how her early failures shaped her eventual success.”
SynonymsAntonymsthoughtlessunreflective - 03 C1 Advanced
showing or being a sign of a particular situation or feeling.
serving to reflect or indicate a specific state, quality, or condition.
Simple“The low test scores were reflective of the fact that the students were tired.”
In context“The sudden decline in luxury car sales is reflective of a broader cooling in the global economy and shifting consumer priorities.”
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
describing a computer program that can look at and change its own code while it is running.
referring to the ability of a process to examine, introspect, and modify its own structure and behaviour at runtime.
Simple“The software uses reflective programming to update its features without stopping.”
In context“By employing reflective techniques, the framework can dynamically discover and instantiate classes based on configuration files provided at runtime.”
Synonyms
“Even very bright foldable screens can be hard to read in bright light because the plastic top layer is so reflective.”
“Winchcomb says police statistics "aren't reflective of the number of injuries".”
From reflect + -ive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.