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psychological

American  
[sahy-kuh-loj-i-kuhl] / ˌsaɪ kəˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl /
Sometimes psychologic

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 British  
/ 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

"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

  • nonpsychologic adjective
  • nonpsychological adjective
  • prepsychological adjective
  • pseudopsychological adjective
  • psychologically adverb
  • semipsychologic adjective
  • semipsychological adjective
  • unpsychological adjective

Etymology

Origin of psychological

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

Compare meaning

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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.

After a few days’ rest at his brigade’s psychological support center, he returned to the front.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it can never erase or control the psychological and spiritual ambiguity at the heart of modern existence.

From Salon

That same year, another psychological explanation for our lingering malaise and low energy, surge capacity depletion, circulated widely.

From Salon

The Hardy Boys were not known for psychological depth, and I read a lot of those books.

From Los Angeles Times

The Dow’s crossing of 50,000 is purely a psychological milestone with no real economic trigger or regulatory significance, as nothing changes materially at that precise moment.

From Los Angeles Times