psychologist
Americannoun
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psychologists
plural
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a specialist in psychology.
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Philosophy. an adherent to or advocate of psychologism.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of psychologist
First recorded in 1720–30; psycholog(y) + -ist
Compare meaning
How does psychologist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A psychologist is a scientist who studies the mind. Unless specified, you should assume the psychologist studies the human mind — as opposed to, for example, a pet psychologist. A psychologist can be a researcher, who makes abstract studies of mental disorders and their treatments. Or, a psychologist can be licensed to see and treat patients, offering therapy for mental conditions or behavioral issues. The word comes from two Latin root, psyche, meaning "soul, mind, and spirit," and logia, meaning "the study of." Unlike a psychiatrist, a psychologist does not have a medical degree, and therefore cannot prescribe medication.
Vocabulary lists containing psychologist
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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.
See Examples For:
However, he will have to turn psychologist once more as the new Spurs looked like the old Spurs as they were dismantled in the west London sunshine.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Venezuelan psychologist Maria Eugenia Tovar defended the battles, arguing they "can lead to in-person encounters" for teens.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
This was reduced to three weeks after he agreed to consult a sports psychologist.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Robert, the accused psychologist, is lying about something.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Anne and Ernestine had made up their minds to explain the situation to them, when destiny delivered the psychologist into our hands, lock, stock and moustache.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Later, he spends his time reading, researching and talking to sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists and AI experts to try to stay ahead of where the technology is going.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“VA psychologists are best in class,” said Russell Lemle, former chief psychologist for the San Francisco VA Health Care System and now a senior policy analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Several psychologists were available to consult with grieving children under the care of their parents, an AFP journalist saw.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
"Anticipatory anxiety", related to heatwaves in particular, has become more common, say psychologists Dr Caroline Hickman from the University of Bath and Dr Emma Lawrance from the University of Oxford.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
After each stage, the psychologists were asked to answer a twenty-five-item multiple-choice test about Kidd.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
