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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.

“Iran was sure that this psychological pressure works, that by scaring the Arab monarchs it can succeed. But, it looks like, this time around, the situation may be different.”

From The Wall Street Journal

As far as mentality goes, they have the manager and players most equipped at dealing with the psychological aspect of a title fight.

From BBC

At the same time, 6 in 10 workers say company brass is underestimating AI’s psychological toll on staff as it muscles in.

From MarketWatch

Crucially, there is a power imbalance here, which threatens your psychological safety at work.

From MarketWatch

Its denizens are mostly nameless, speaking only when spoken to—props in the psychological drama of four young protagonists.

From The Wall Street Journal