reaction
[noun]
Synonyms:
- response, answer, reply
- recoil, counteraction
- conservatism, the right

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English Thesaurus: reaction, response, reception, feedback, backlash, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧ac‧tion S2 W2 AC /riˈækʃən/ noun
[Word Family: noun: act, action ≠ inaction, activity ≠ inactivity, reaction, interaction, overacting; adjective: acting, active ≠ inactive; verb: act ≠ overact; adverb: actively]
[Word Family: noun: reaction, reactor, reactionary, overreaction; verb: react, overreact; adjective: reactionary, reactive]

1. TO A SITUATION/EVENT [uncountable and countable] something that you feel or do because of something that has happened or been said ⇒ response:
What was Jeff’s reaction when you told him about the job?
reaction to
the government’s reaction to the fuel crisis
in reaction to something
An emergency fund was set up in reaction to the famine.

2. MOVING QUICKLY reactions [plural] your ability to move quickly when something dangerous happens suddenly:
a skilled driver with very quick reactions

3. TO FOOD/DRUGS [countable] if you have a reaction to a drug or to something you have eaten, it makes you ill
reaction to
a reaction to the immunization
have/suffer a reaction
She had a severe allergic reaction to the drug.
cause/bring on/trigger a reaction
Certain foods are more likely than others to cause allergic reactions.

4. SCIENCE [uncountable and countable]
a) a chemical change that happens when two or more substances are mixed together:
a chemical reaction in the soil
b) a physical force that is the result of an equally strong physical force in the opposite direction

5. CHANGE [singular] a change in people’s attitudes, behaviour, fashions etc that happens because they disapprove of the way in which things were done in the past
reaction against
a reaction against the traditional values of the nineteenth century

6. AGAINST CHANGE [uncountable] formal strong and unreasonable opposition to all social and political changes:
The revolutionary movement was crushed by the forces of reaction.
⇒ chain reaction

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

reaction
noun
I. response
ADJ. extreme, sharp, strong, violent | favourable, positive | adverse, hostile, negative | mixed The speech got a mixed reaction.
angry | first, immediate, initial | delayed Her outburst was a delayed reaction to an unpleasant letter she'd received that morning.
chain The change of plan set off a chain reaction of confusion.
mixed | common, general, public | natural, normal | automatic, gut, instinctive, knee-jerk, spontaneous The incident calls for a measured response, avoiding knee-jerk reactions.
nervous | emotional | critical The critical reaction to his first novel has been positive.
VERB + REACTION get, have, meet with The play met with a mixed reaction from the critics.
bring, cause, produce, provoke, set off, spark (off), trigger (off) She was surprised at the reaction brought by the mention of his delayed a delayed reaction to the drugs
allergic
VERB + REACTION have, suffer She had a very bad allergic reaction to the peanuts.
cause, produce
PREP. ~ to A small minority of patients suffer an adverse reaction to the treatment. name.
gauge, judge (by/from) He eyed her cautiously, trying to gauge her reaction. Judging by her reaction, she liked the present.
PREP. in ~ to There's been a drop in ticket sales in reaction to the review.
~ against Her rebellious attitude is just a reaction against her strict upbringing.
~ to the public reaction to the news

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

reaction
II. (usually reactions) ability to react quickly
ADJ. fast, good, lightning, quick | slow, sluggish
VERB + REACTION have She has very quick reactions.
speed up | slow down Alcohol has the effect of slowing down your reactions.
REACTION + NOUN time Your reaction time increases when you are tired.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

reaction
III. chemical reaction
ADJ. chain | chemical, nuclear
VERB + REACTION cause, produce, start, trigger | stop | speed up | slow down
REACTION + VERB occur, take place
PREP. during/in a/the ~ the energy given out during the reaction
~ between studying the reactions between certain gases
~ with the fuel's chemical reaction with the surrounding water

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

reaction
IV. allergy
ADJ. adverse, bad | mild, slight |

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

reaction

sb’s first/initial/immediate reaction
His first reaction was to laugh.
sb’s gut reaction informal (=what they feel or decide immediately, before thinking)
You must trust your gut reactions.
sb’s instinctive reaction (=what they do immediately, before thinking)
Often your instinctive reaction is to blame someone else.
a natural reaction
Anger is a natural reaction if you feel undervalued.
a knee-jerk reaction (=an immediate reaction that happens without sensible thinking)
Environmentalists have a knee-jerk reaction against any development.
an emotional reaction (=showing strong emotion, especially by crying)
I was surprised by her emotional reaction to the news.
a positive/favourable reaction (=showing that someone agrees or likes something)
There has been a positive reaction to the campaign.
a negative reaction (=showing that someone disagrees or dislikes something)
We are concerned about the negative reaction of some of our customers.
mixed reactions (=some positive and some negative reactions)
The book met with mixed reactions.
a violent/angry reaction
The artists were surprised by the violent reactions to their work.
a delayed reaction (=a reaction that comes some time after an event)
You’re suffering a delayed reaction to the accident.
the public reaction (=what the public think about something that happens)
The public reaction was less than encouraging.
provoke/produce/bring a reaction
The decision provoked an angry reaction from the local tourist industry.
get a reaction
We didn’t know what kind of reaction we would get.
gauge sb’s reaction (=judge or find out someone’s reaction)
He watched Jane’s face, trying to gauge her reaction.
judging by sb’s reactions
Judging by the audience’s reactions, the show will be a great success.
an allergic reaction
If you develop an allergic reaction to your sunscreen, change it.
a bad reaction
She had a bad reaction to the medicine.
an adverse reaction formal (=a bad reaction)
The patient died after having an adverse reaction to the drug.
a severe reaction
A severe allergic reaction to the drug has killed five Americans.
a slight/mild reaction
A spider’s venom usually causes only a slight reaction.
have/suffer a reaction
People who eat these products could have an allergic reaction.
cause/bring on/trigger a reaction (=make someone ill)
Wheat is one of the foods that are most likely to cause a reaction.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

reaction someone’s feelings, and how they behave, because of something that has happened or been said:
I was stunned by the news, and my initial reaction was anger.
What was her reaction, when you told her that you were leaving?
response what you say or do when someone says or does something to you:
The government’s immediate response was to reject the proposal.
The decision was made in response to requests from local residents.
We are still waiting to see if there is any response.
reception a particular type of reaction to someone’s ideas, work etc – used especially in the following phrases:
The plan received warm reception from conference delegates (=they liked it).
The film received a mixed reception and commercially it was not successful (=many people did not like it).
The Association of Chief Police Officers gave the idea a cool reception (=they did not like it very much).
Alford’s views met with a hostile reception (=people were very disapproving).
feedback advice, criticism, praise etc that you give to someone, telling them how well they are working:
Our English teacher gave us some feedback on our essays.
The feedback we have had from our customers has all been positive.
negative feedback
backlash an angry or violent reaction by a group of people to the actions or decisions of others:
There has been a growing backlash against the government from angry voters.
fears of a right-wing backlash

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲