Definition

1. Noun:
   • The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others: "Behaviour" refers to the actions, reactions, or manners of a person or animal.
   • The way in which a machine, substance, or system operates or functions: "Behaviour" can also describe the response or action of an inanimate object under specific conditions.
   • (Psychology) The aggregate of an organism's responses to stimuli or situations: In a scientific context, it encompasses all observable activities and reactions.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Human/Animal):
  • The teacher praised the child's good behaviour.
  • Studying animal behaviour in the wild is fascinating.
• Noun (Object/System):
  • The engineer monitored the behaviour of the new material under stress.
  • The software's erratic behaviour was caused by a bug.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on one's best behaviour": to make a special effort to act politely and correctly.
  • The children were told to be on their best behaviour for their grandparents' visit.
• "Behavioural science": the scientific study of human and animal behaviour.
  • She has a degree in behavioural science.

Variants and Related Words

• Behavioural (adj): relating to behaviour.
  • The study focused on behavioural patterns in adolescents.
• Behaviourism (n): a school of psychology focusing on observable behaviours.
  • Behaviourism was a dominant theory in early 20th-century psychology.

Synonyms

• Conduct: (more formal) personal behaviour.
• Deportment: (formal) a person's behaviour or manners.
• Actions: the things that someone does.

Related Phrases

• Code of behaviour: a set of rules governing how people should act.
  • The school has a strict code of behaviour.
• Risk behaviour: actions that increase the likelihood of a negative outcome.
  • The program aims to reduce risk behaviour among teenagers.

Idioms

• A study in behaviour: an excellent or extreme example of a particular type of behaviour.
  • His tantrum was a study in childish behaviour.

Noun

1. manner of acting or controlling yourself
2. (psychology) the aggregate of the responses or reactions or movements made by an organism in any situation
3. (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
4. the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
   • the behavior of small particles can be studied in experiments