Phrase guide

reflexive pronoun

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ɹəˈflɛksɪv ˈpɹoʊnaʊn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

In English: a personal pronoun, having a form of "-self" as a suffix to show that the subject's action affects the subject itself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

In many languages: a pronoun that makes a transitive verb reflexive or reciprocal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a personal pronoun compounded with -self to show the agent's action affects the agent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reflexive

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: personal pronoun

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ضَمِير اِنْعِكَاسِيّ (ḍamīr inʕikāsiyy) — Translations
  • Belarusian: зваро́тны займе́ннік (zvarótny zajmjénnik) — Translations
  • Bulgarian: възвра́тно местоиме́ние (vǎzvrátno mestoiménie) — Translations
  • Chichewa: mlowam'malo wodzichitira — Translations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 反身代詞 /反身代词 (fǎnshēn dàicí) — Translations
  • Czech: zvratné zájmeno — Translations
  • Czech: reflexivum — Translations
  • Danish: refleksiv pronomen — Translations
  • Dutch: wederkerend voornaamwoord — Translations
  • Esperanto: refleksiva pronomo — Translations
  • Esperanto: refleksivo — Translations
  • Estonian: enesekohane asesõna — Translations
  • Faroese: afturbent fornavn — Translations
  • Finnish: refleksiivipronomini — Translations
  • French: pronom réfléchi — Translations
  • Georgian: უკუქცევითი ნაცვალსახელი (uḳukceviti nacvalsaxeli) — Translations
  • German: Reflexivpronomen — Translations
  • German: Reflexivum — Translations
  • German: rückbezügliches Fürwort — Translations
  • Greek: αυτοπαθής αντωνυμία (aftopathís antonymía) — Translations
  • Hungarian: visszaható névmás — Translations
  • Icelandic: afturbeygt fornafn — Translations
  • Italian: pronome riflessivo — Translations
  • Japanese: 再帰代名詞 (saiki daimeishi) — Translations
  • Kazakh: өздік есімдік (özdık esımdık) — Translations
  • Korean: 재귀대명사 (jaegwidaemyeongsa) — Translations
  • Macedonian: повратна заменка (povratna zamenka) — Translations
  • Norwegian Bokmål: refleksiv pronomen — Translations
  • Polish: zaimek zwrotny — Translations
  • Portuguese: pronome reflexivo — Translations
  • Portuguese: pronome reflexo — Translations
  • Romanian: pronume reflexiv — Translations
  • Romansh: pronom reflexiv — Translations
  • Russian: возвра́тное местоиме́ние (vozvrátnoje mestoiménije) — Translations
  • Serbo-Croatian: повратна заменица — Translations
  • Serbo-Croatian: povratna zamenica — Translations
  • Slovak: zvratné zámeno — Translations
  • Slovene: povratni zaimek — Translations
  • Spanish: pronombre reflexivo — Translations
  • Swedish: reflexiv pronomen — Translations
  • Tajik: ҷонишини нафсӣ (jonišin-i nafsi) — Translations
  • Turkish: dönüşlülük zarfı — Translations
  • Ukrainian: зворо́тний займе́нник (zvorótnyj zajménnyk) — Translations
  • Welsh: rhagenw atblygol — Translations