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Synonyms

psychobabble

American  
[sahy-koh-bab-uhl] / ˈsaɪ koʊˌbæb əl /

noun

  1. writing or talk using jargon from psychiatry or psychotherapy without particular accuracy or relevance.

psychobabble British  
/ ˈsaɪkəʊˌbæbəl /

noun

  1. informal the jargon of psychology, esp as used and popularized in various types of psychotherapy

"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

Other Word Forms

  • psychobabbler noun

Etymology

Origin of psychobabble

psycho- + babble; popularized by a book of the same title (1977) by U.S. journalist Richard D. Rosen (born 1949)

Vocabulary lists containing psychobabble

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.

It may sound like esoteric psychobabble, or an overemphasis on something that should be inherent in players.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2019

Biological theories of and treatments for the brain, notably drugs like Thorazine, lithium, Valium and Prozac, displaced Freudian psychobabble and transformed psychiatry into a truly scientific discipline.

From Scientific American • Aug. 3, 2019

Lyndsey portrayed herself as an empiricist who disdained New Age theories and psychobabble.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 19, 2016

“I recognize there’s a lot of psychobabble about our relationship, and that’s not exactly our long suit in this family,” Mr. Bush said.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2014

Ask a simple question, get a load of touchy-feely psychobabble in return.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

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.