psychosexual

[ sahy-koh-sek-shoo-uhl or, especially British, -seks-yoo- ]

/ ˌsaɪ koʊˈsɛk ʃu əl or, especially British, -ˈsɛks yu- /

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adjective

of or relating to the relationship of psychological and sexual phenomena.

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Origin of psychosexual

First recorded in 1895–1900; psycho- + sexual

OTHER WORDS FROM psychosexual

psy·cho·sex·u·al·i·ty, nounpsy·cho·sex·u·al·ly, adverb

Words nearby psychosexual

psychophysiological, psychophysiologic disorder, psychophysiology, psychopomp, psychoprophylaxis, psychosexual, psychosis, psychosocial, psychosociology, psychosomatic, psychosurgery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use psychosexual in a sentence

Alfred Hitchcock is not so much evoked as dragged into the room and pointed at vigorously, as if this film can convince you it’s a taut psychosexual thriller just by referencing some really good ones.
What went wrong with The Woman in the Window?|Alissa Wilkinson|May 14, 2021|Vox
He has a psychosexual hold over her that is intentionally fraught with peril for the audience.
‘The Good Wife’: Has Season 4’s Kalinda Storyline Gone too Far?|Jace Lacob, Maria Elena Fernandez|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There is more than a little Buffy/Faith resonance to the twisted, almost psychosexual relationship between Emily and Amanda.
‘Revenge’: The 12 Most Memorable Twists in the Wicked First Season|Jace Lacob|May 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Who better to capture the psychosexual nature of Twilight than the current Marquis De Denmark?
The Future of Twilight|Natasha Vargas-Cooper|July 1, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Sanford Bell has published cases in which as early as the age of two years psychosexual phenomena have been observed.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
The commonest early manifestations of the sexual life in childhood are, as was said before, the psychosexual phenomena.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
Similarly the psychosexual passes through a metamorphosis in normal development.
The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin
He holds that such cases show a "fixation" in an earlier stage of psychosexual development.
The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin
At this time of life, the psychosexual in especial often plays a great part.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll

British Dictionary definitions for psychosexual

psychosexual

/ (ˌsaɪkəʊˈsɛksjʊəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the mental aspects of sex, such as sexual fantasies

Derived forms of psychosexual

psychosexuality, nounpsychosexually, adverb

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