physiological
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to physiology
-
of or relating to normal healthful functioning; not pathological
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of physiological
First recorded in 1600–10; physiolog(y) + -ical
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How does physiological compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Anything physiological has to do with the body and its systems. You might notice that your physiological response to a scary movie includes your heart beating faster and your hands getting sweaty. You know that the root word of physiological is phys, which refers to the body (think of those phys. ed. classes you panted through). That root comes from the Greek word for nature. Add the suffix ology, which means "the study of" (see where we're going?), and finally, tack on that little ical. Ta-taa! You have turned the root into an adjective to describe the way your body works. Let's get physiological!
Vocabulary lists containing physiological
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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.
It also revealed that my blood pressure is noticeably lower on the weekends, which drove home the physiological impact of work-related stress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
"By combining physiological measurements with participants' subjective assessments, we were able to examine sleep from multiple perspectives under everyday home conditions, which was an important aspect of this study," emphasizes Shimizu.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
They added: "Like other consumer sleep wearables, Oura Ring estimates sleep stages using multiple physiological signals, including heart rate, heart rate variability, movement, breathing patterns, and temperature."
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The results support the idea that obesity therapies may be more effective when they target several physiological processes at once instead of focusing only on appetite.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
“All the physiological stigmata of old age have been abolished. And along with them, of course . . .” “Don’t forget to ask him about that Malthusian belt,” said Fanny.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
