5 meanings
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1 —as in:
reflect in the mirror
Definition
show an image back (on a mirror or other shiny surface)- She saw her face reflected in his sunglasses.
reflected = shown back
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The pond reflected her image.
- Why is the writing on my t-shirt backwards when its reflected in a mirror?
- Slowly his eyes opened, and he looked at the sky reflecting in the water.Ben Mikaeslen -- Touching Spirit Bear
- She didn't want to see herself reflected in his dark glasses.Kate DiCamillo -- Flora & Ulysses
- Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- He throws no shadow, he make in the mirror no reflect, as again Jonathan observe.Bram Stoker -- Dracula
- At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification.Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein
- Montag, falling flat, going down, saw or felt, or imagined he saw or felt the walls go dark in Millie's face, heard her screaming, because in the millionth part of time left, she saw her own face reflected there, in a mirror instead of a crystal ball, and it was such a wildly empty face, all by itself in the room, touching nothing, starved and eating of itself, that at last she recognized it as her own and looked quickly up at the ceiling as it and the entire structure of the hotel...Ray Bradbury -- Fahrenheit 451
- I startle when I catch someone staring at me from only a few inches away and then realize it's my own face reflecting back in the glass.Suzanne Collins -- The Hunger Games
reflected = showed back
reflected = shown back
reflecting = showing back an image (as on a mirror or shiny surface)
reflected = shown back
reflected = shown back
reflect = image (shown back)
reflected = shown (an image back)
reflected = shown (an image back)
reflecting = showing back
2 —as in:
reflect American Values
Definition
to show something — such as to demonstrate, express, or representThe exact meaning of this sense of reflect depends upon its context. For example:
- "She says the immorality in the movie reflects American values." — expresses or represents
- "It reflects the selfishness she had seen growing for years." — demonstrates
- "She did not reflect the panic that surrounded her." — demonstrate or show indication of
- Which choice best reflects the overall sequence of events in the passage?
reflects = expresses
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The author used gloomy weather to help reflect a depressing situation.
- The restaurant's success reflects desire in the community to eat healthy food.
- Her premature death reflects a broken health care system.
- We want the members of our police force to reflect the diversity of our community.
- Those skinny models don't reflect the customers who purchase our clothing.
- Harry looked at Ron and Hermione; their expressions reflected the mingled shock and gratitude he felt.J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- As you know, it's customary to reflect the flavor of the district. For the opening ceremonies, you're supposed to wear something that suggests your district's principal industry.Suzanne Collins -- The Hunger Games
- Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness.Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird
- This correspondence, as one might expect, reflected sharply divergent points of view: Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals; others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity...Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
reflect = express
reflects = demonstrates
reflects = demonstrates or represents
reflect = represent
reflect = represent
reflected = expressed
reflect = represent, demonstrate, or express
reflected = showed or demonstrated
reflected = expressed
3 —as in:
I want to reflect on it.
Definition
think carefully — possibly aloud or in writing- At the beginning of this passage, the author reflects on her life as a waitress.
reflects = thinks carefully
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- As I reflect on my life, I realize that it's relationships that matter most.
- I need more time to reflect.
- I've led a hectic life, but when I retire I want to slow down, reflect, and possibly write a book with some of my reflections.
- I paused some time to reflect on all he had related and the various arguments which he had employed.Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein
- Walt, in a reflective mood, has had little to say, but he appears more at ease than he has in many days.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- I was wearing my pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat, and reflected that if I spilled anything Calpurnia would have to wash my dress again for tomorrow.Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird
- This reply troubled him; and, after reflecting a few moments, he turned to me, and said I should hire my time no longer; that the next thing he should know of, I would be running away.Frederick Douglass -- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- But so long as we have to stay here in the field, the front-line days, when they are past, sink down in us like a stone; they are too grievous for us to be able to reflect on them at once.Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front
- After all, I reflected to myself, people were shooting flames into caves and grilling other people alive, ships were being torpedoed and dropping thousands of men in the icy ocean, whole city blocks were exploding into flame in an instant.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
reflect = think carefully
reflect = think carefully
reflect = think carefully
reflect = think carefully
reflective = thoughtful
reflected = thought
reflecting = thinking
reflect = think
reflected = thought
4 —as in:
reflect poorly on the school
Definition
influence opinion- The failing test scores would reflect poorly on the school.
reflect = influence opinion
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The inaccurate report reflected poorly on the newspaper.
- Winning the national championship would reflect positively on the whole school.
- Funny, in the arena, when I poured out those berries, I was only thinking of outsmarting the Gamemakers, not how my actions would reflect on the Capitol.Suzanne Collins -- The Hunger Games
- Oh, it's sad, very sad that the old adage has been confirmed for the umpteenth time: "What one Christian does is his own responsibility, what one Jew does reflects on all Jews."Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- They won't call attention to my rudeness because it would reflect on their parenting.Lois Lowry -- The Giver
- But each such error reflected negatively on his parents' guidance and infringed on the community's sense of order and success.Lois Lowry -- The Giver
reflected = influenced opinion as specified
reflect = influence opinion
reflect = influence opinion about
reflects = influences opinion
reflect = influence opinion
reflected = influenced opinion
5 —as in:
reflect the light/heat/sound
Definition
bounce back (rather than absorbing)- We're replacing all the warning signs with signs that reflect headlights in the dark.
reflect = bounce back light from
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The stop signs in this neighborhood reflect light, so you won't miss them even if there isn't a nearby street light.
- Reflective highway signs save lives.
- I wear a reflective jacket when I bicycle at night.
- We get an echo when the sound reflects off of the canyon walls.
- The glowing embers cast faint shadows into the surrounding night, and under the trees, a large set of eyes reflected the light, staring patiently out of the darkness.Ben Mikaeslen -- Touching Spirit Bear
- Eventually, I give in and slide into the sleeping bag with Peeta. It's toasty warm and I snuggle down gratefully until I realize it's more than warm, it's overly hot because the bag is reflecting back his fever.Suzanne Collins -- The Hunger Games
- There was a street light behind me somewhere through the trees and the windows of the Infirmary dimly reflected it.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
- He was a thin leathery man with colorless eyes, so colorless they did not reflect light.Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The front was broken by a line of French windows, glowing now with reflected gold and wide open to the warm windy afternoon, and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
reflect = bounce back
reflective = having the characteristic of bouncing back light
reflective = having the characteristic of bouncing back light
reflects = bounces back
reflected = shined back
reflecting = bouncing back (rather than the heat leaving the bag, it stays within it)
reflected = shined back (the light from)
reflect = shine (bounce back)
reflected = shined back
Less commonly:
See a comprehensive dictionary for less common meanings of reflect.