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

• 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

See Examples For:

psychobabble

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

Thank you for saying it, because someone had to punch a hole in the No Guilt balloon ethos of psychobabble.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2017

We are often told: Be yourself, express your desires, avoid vanity—all psychobabble truisms.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 9, 2015

I see what Alicia's saying, but I'm not going to get sucked into some stupid psychobabble session.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements