reflexed
Angled sharply back
Reflexed describes something bent or curved sharply backward or downward.
The term appears mainly in botany, describing petals, sepals, or leaves that curve back toward the stem: The lily's reflexed petals curled dramatically away from the center.
In anatomy, it can describe body parts bent back on themselves.
Smoothly bent, not angular
- recurvedCurved backward or inward
- archedCurved overhead
- petalsColored bloom segments
- sepalsOuter whorl protecting buds
leaves · margins · tips · lobes · bracts · corolla · perianth · revolute
Emotionally distant, disengaged
- flinchedRecoiled involuntarily from threat
- retractedWithdrew a prior statement
- shrankBecame smaller, past tense
- retreatedMoved backward from advance
recoiled · winced · startled · jerked · defensive · repulsed · aversive · avoidant
Not under conscious control
- automaticOperating without intervention
- instinctiveArising without conscious thought
- autonomicSelf-regulating without awareness
- spontaneousArising without external cause
knee-jerk · unconscious · innate · hardwired · neural · synaptic · startle · gag
curved
Smoothly bent, not angular
sepals · leaves · margins · tips · lobes · bracts · corolla · perianth · revolute · deflexed
withdrawn
Emotionally distant, disengaged
- flinchedRecoiled involuntarily from threat
- retractedWithdrew a prior statement
- shrankBecame smaller, past tense
retreated · recoiled · winced · startled · jerked · defensive · repulsed · aversive · avoidant · shrinking
involuntary
Not under conscious control
- automaticOperating without intervention
- instinctiveArising without conscious thought
- autonomicSelf-regulating without awareness
spontaneous · knee-jerk · unconscious · innate · hardwired · neural · synaptic · startle · gag · blink
- flower formsbell-shaped, cup-shaped, funnel-shaped, trumpet-shaped, star-shaped
- quick reflexesRapid involuntary responses
- gag reflexThroat's protective contraction
- fight-or-flight reflexAutomatic reaction to threats
- startle reflexInvoluntary reaction to sudden stimuli
- conditioned reflexLearned involuntary reaction
- reflex testInvoluntary response assessment