behavioral

American  

[bih-heyv-yer-uhl] / bɪˈheɪv yər əl /

especially British, behavioural

adjective

1. relating to a person’s manner of behaving or acting.

   The program provides academic and behavioral supports for students of concern.

   Most of our biggest health risks are largely preventable with behavioral change.

2. Psychology, Animal Behavior. relating to or studying observable activity in a human or animal, often thought of as the aggregate of responses to external and internal stimuli.

   This psychiatry textbook offers a thorough discussion of both the behavioral sciences and clinical psychiatry.

   Harassment of wild marine mammals has disrupted their behavioral patterns, including migration, breeding, and feeding.

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Other Word Forms

• behaviorally adverb
• behaviourally adverb
• interbehavioral adjective
• interbehaviorally adverb
• interbehavioural adjective
• interbehaviourally adverb

Etymology

Origin of behavioral

First recorded in 1925–30; behavior ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

We followed these children over several years, documenting respiratory health symptoms and lung function measurements, in addition to household, lifestyle and behavioral factors.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

There is a combination of factors at work to explain the shift in gold’s behavioral characteristics.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

They’re running systems borrowed from gambling and behavioral psychology.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The species used, Drosophila melanogaster, is widely used in behavioral research because its genetic makeup and neural systems share important similarities with humans, Han explained.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

“The panda reintroduction program began in 2003 with a team made up of researchers from many fields, including ecology, behavioral science,veterinary, and feeding management,” explains Suzanne Braden of Pandas International.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh