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.

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psychobabble British  

/ ˈsaɪkəʊˌbæbəl /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived 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)

Example Sentences

The fitness guru’s sphere of influence has typically been centered on the body, with some wiggle room for related self-help psychobabble and musical appreciation.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2021

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

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2019

In the end, no such censorship was required; the American contestants were uniformly chaste and polite, their speech sanitized psychobabble cultivated to convey self-awareness, depth, and respect for women.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 10, 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

We both expected Ms. Antilly to spew a bunch of psychobabble at us.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher