startle reflex

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Datamuse reports no synonyms or antonyms for this word.

Noun

1. {{lb|en|physiology}} A [[brainstem]] [[reflectory]] [[reaction]] that [[serve]]s to [[protect]] [[vulnerable]] [[part]]s, such as the back of the [[neck]] and the [[eye]]s and [[facilitate]]s an [[escape]] from [[sudden]] [[stimulus|stimuli]].

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.