psychiatrist
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of psychiatrist
First recorded in 1885–90; psychiatr(y) + -ist
Compare meaning
How does psychiatrist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. Sigmund Freud is the founder of the field of psychiatry, pioneering psychoanalytic treatment. The noun psychiatrist has Greek roots in psykhe, meaning mind, and iatreia, meaning healing, so the word psychiatrist is literally one who heals the mind. As opposed to a psychologist, who also offers psychotherapy, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor and, as such, can prescribe medication for things like depression and anxiety.
Vocabulary lists containing psychiatrist
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Twelve Angry Men
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Body Language: Psych ("Mind")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eager to learn more, I attended a workshop led by the Dutch-born psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, a leading figure in trauma research whose 2014 book, The Body Keeps the Score, was a bestseller.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
This is what it feels like to live in a society that has succumbed to what the late psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton described as “malignant normality.”
From Salon • May 24, 2026
The court heard evidence via video-link from Dr Christine Kennedy, a consultant psychiatrist.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
Richard Maddock, senior author of the study, is a psychiatrist and research professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
I thought,“Why would I need to tell her? What’s she going to do — send me to a psychiatrist? I’m not crazy—I’m having dreams that my extremely ill brother is dying, which makes sense!”
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
