different between attentive vs reflective

English

Etymology

From Middle English attentif, attentijf, from Old French attentif.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?nt?v/

Adjective

attentive (comparative more attentive, superlative most attentive)

1. Paying attention; noticing, watching, listening, or attending closely.

   She is an attentive listener, but does not like to talk much.

   • 1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka (republished by Eland, 2019; p. 94):

     King-of-the-Sky was sitting alone in the Leeward Village meeting-house, gesticulating to the attentive shades of night, roaring out the genealogy of his ancestors, telling the sleeping world of his greatness.

2. Courteous; mindful.

   a husband attentive to his wife's needs

Synonyms

• audient
• mindful
• reckful

Antonyms

• inattentive, reckless

Translations

See also

• alert
• wary
• watchful

Anagrams

• tentative

French

Adjective

attentive

1. feminine singular of attentif

English

Etymology

reflect +? -ive

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???fl?kt?v/
• Rhymes: -?kt?v

Adjective

reflective (comparative more reflective, superlative most reflective)

1. That reflects, or redirects back to the source.

   Mirrors are reflective.

2. Pondering, especially thinking back on the past.

   He always becomes reflective in preparation for the new year.

3. That reveals or shows; revealing; indicative of.
4. (computing, programming) Involving reflection.
5. (grammar) Reciprocal.

Coordinate terms

• refractive

Derived terms

• reflectivity
• unreflective

Translations