parapsychology

[ par-uh-sahy-kol-uh-jee ]
See synonyms for: parapsychologyparapsychological on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the branch of psychology that deals with the investigation of purportedly psychic phenomena, as clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, telepathy, and the like.

Origin of parapsychology

1
First recorded in 1925–30; para-1 + psychology

Other words from parapsychology

  • par·a·psy·cho·log·i·cal, adjective
  • par·a·psy·chol·o·gist, noun

Words Nearby parapsychology

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parapsychology in a sentence

  • He knows all about parapsychology, he had all the references, all the terms, all without me giving them to him.

    Ghostbusters Is Real! | Benjamin Sarlin | October 26, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • If I had asked you to attend an experiment in parapsychology, you'd have agreed at once.

    Sense from Thought Divide | Mark Irvin Clifton
  • The Psionics and parapsychology people weren't the only delegation to reach Blanley that day.

    The Edge of the Knife | Henry Beam Piper
  • Fitch, and the two men from the Institute of Psionics and parapsychology were interested in him as a source of study-material.

    The Edge of the Knife | Henry Beam Piper
  • "I'm beginning to, since I've been talking to these Psionics and parapsychology people," he laughed.

    The Edge of the Knife | Henry Beam Piper
  • Various tags are used to name them under the heading of parapsychology, magic, and non-verbal communication.

British Dictionary definitions for parapsychology

parapsychology

/ (ˌpærəsaɪˈkɒlədʒɪ) /


noun
  1. the study of mental phenomena, such as telepathy, which are beyond the scope of normal physical explanation

Derived forms of parapsychology

  • parapsychological (ˌpærəsaɪkəˈlɒʒɪkəl), adjective
  • parapsychologist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for parapsychology

parapsychology

[ (par-uh-seye-kol-uh-jee) ]


The study of extrasensory perception (ESP), communications with the dead, telekinesis (using mental energy to cause distant objects to move), and other mental phenomena that have not been explained or accepted by scientists. (See psychic research.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.