psychological

[ sahy-kuh-loj-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to psychology.
2. pertaining to the mind or to mental phenomena as the subject matter of psychology.
3. of, pertaining to, dealing with, or affecting the mind, especially as a function of awareness, feeling, or motivation:

   psychological play;

   psychological effect.

psychological

/ ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to psychology
2. of or relating to the mind or mental activity
3. having no real or objective basis; arising in the mind

   his backaches are all psychological

4. affecting the mind

Derived Forms

• ˌpsychoˈlogically, adverb

Other Words From

• psy·cho·log·i·cal·ly adverb
• non·psy·cho·log·ic adjective
• non·psy·cho·log·i·cal adjective
• pre·psy·cho·log·i·cal adjective
• pseu·do·psy·cho·log·i·cal adjective
• sem·i·psy·cho·log·ic adjective
• sem·i·psy·cho·log·i·cal adjective
• un·psy·cho·log·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychological¹

First recorded in 1785–95; psycholog(y) + -ical

Example Sentences

Salon also interviewed Dr. Suzanne Bell, who leads NASA’s behavioral health and performance lab, which supports ISS crew members during biweekly psychological evaluations and researches ways to enhance coordination at all stages of space missions.

From Salon

Within a little over two weeks, he's already blown the appearance of invincibility, demonstrating once again that he is an incompetent egomaniac whose psychological unfitness creates nothing by chaos.

From Salon

The judge found her mother’s actions caused the girl, now aged 15, to also suffer significant emotional and psychological harm.

From BBC

A survivor of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings said she still carries the psychological scars of the atrocity 50 years on.

From BBC

“Everyone has to make a decision about how much engagement they can tolerate without undermining their psychological well-being,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cognitive
• emotional
• intellectual
• mental
• subjective