psychobabble

[sahy-koh-bab-uhl]

noun

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

psychobabble

/ ˈsaɪkəʊˌbæbəl /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• psychobabbler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychobabble¹

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

Example Sentences

Tackling the “elevated psychobabble” that Williamson wrote for the “Dawson’s” teens, which quickly became a signature of the series, proved more of a challenge.

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I get a dozen texts every week filled with weight loss psychobabble, while my husband is dogged by technically legal, but still not awesome, political outreach and fearmongering.

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Grace and Grit Rated R for harsh words and hubristic psychobabble.

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The vice president argued that the president had succumbed to psychobabble from an inexperienced aide.

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“Sex addiction” is seen by many as empty psychobabble, a daft metaphor at best, dangerously weaponized on “a really bad day.”

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