reflectiveness.

1. A tendency to examine experiences, ideas or decisions carefully rather than respond immediately.

2. The extent to which a surface or material reflects incident light.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• habitual reflectiveness
• reflectiveness of a response

On the page

His reflectiveness became apparent in the questions he asked before offering advice.

The narrator’s reflectiveness did not prevent her from overlooking an uncomfortable assumption.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation, interpersonal behavior, self-evaluation. Disciplines: psychology, human behavior, character writing. Commonness: uncommon.