View synonyms for behavior

behavior

[ bih-heyv-yer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

manner of behaving or acting.
Synonyms: carriage, bearing, demeanor
Psychology, Animal Behavior.
1. observable activity in a human or animal.
2. the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.
3. a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship dance or startle reflex.
Often be·hav·iors. a behavior pattern.
the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances:
the behavior of tin under heat.

behavior

/ bĭ-hāv′yər /

The actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment.
One of these actions. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct , while others (such as hunting) must be learned.
The manner in which a physical system, such as a gas, subatomic particle, or ecosystem, acts or functions, especially under specified conditions.

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Other Words From

be·hav·ior·al adjective
in·ter·be·hav·ior noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of behavior¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; behave ( def ) + -ior (on model of havior, variant of havor, from Middle French (h)avoir “a having,” ultimately from Latin habēre “to have”); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver; -or ¹( def )

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Idioms and Phrases

see on one's best behavior .

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Synonym Study

Behavior, conduct, deportment, comportment refer to one's actions before or toward others, especially on a particular occasion. Behavior refers to actions usually measured by commonly accepted standards: His behavior at the party was childish. Conduct refers to actions viewed collectively, especially as measured by an ideal standard: Conduct is judged according to principles of ethics. Deportment is behavior related to a code or to an arbitrary standard: Deportment is guided by rules of etiquette. The teacher gave Susan a mark of B in deportment. Comportment is behavior as viewed from the standpoint of one's management of one's own actions: His comportment was marked by a quiet assurance.

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Example Sentences

She mentioned his marital infidelities in challenging Trump as an arbiter of moral behavior.

From Los Angeles Times

“Employees share that they observed his behavior turn suddenly erratic, but they did not perceive it to be related to the appraisal offer. We continue to review all information available to fully understand this incident.”

From Los Angeles Times

Altadena and Pacific Palisades — essentially reduced to blank slates — have a chance to reimagine themselves in a fundamentally safer way, experts who study wildfire behavior say.

From Los Angeles Times

Fulton accused Nicolas Cage of enabling their son’s behavior by turning a blind eye to his violence and mental health struggles while continuing to support him financially.

From Los Angeles Times

“The non-wildland zoning doesn’t involve any direct sort of mechanistic fire behavior assessment,” David Sapsis, a Cal Fire research manager who oversees the mapping efforts, told The Times in January before the rollout began.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

behave behavioral

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