Reflexively

[Noego]

Hi again,

What is the meaning of the word: reflexively?

Even by reading definitions of that word, I can't seem to be able to understand it's meaning.

Please look at the following excerpt:

''The police recently arrested several advocates of peasant rights suspected of helping to coordinate protest activities nationally. Those are worrying signs for the one-party state, reflexively wary of even the hint of organized opposition.''

I think reflexively here means worried about themselves but I'm not sure as to what the exact meaning is. I can't wrap my mind around it.

Would someone be so kind as to explain to me, as clearly as possible, the meaning of reflexively?

[BobK]

Hi again,

What is the meaning of the word: reflexively?

Even by reading definitions of that word, I can't seem to be able to understand it's meaning.

Please look at the following excerpt:

''The police recently arrested several advocates of peasant rights suspected of helping to coordinate protest activities nationally. Those are worrying signs for the one-party state, reflexively wary of even the hint of organized opposition.''

I think reflexively here means worried about themselves but I'm not sure as to what the exact meaning is. I can't wrap my mind around it.

Would someone be so kind as to explain to me, as clearly as possible, the meaning of reflexively?

It's correctly used there to mean 'as if responding by reflex' - that is, an unthinking, automatic reaction.

[I say 'correctly' there because I've also seen the word used, by people who should know better, to mean 'reflectively' - "in a thoughtful/deliberate way". Note - "deliberate" in that definition doesn't mean "intentional".]

b

PS reflex(es): Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com (notably meanings 2 and 3)

[Noego]

I guess I'm one of those person who should know better as that's what I thought reflexively meant!

Thanks for correcting me.