parapsychology

noun

para·​psy·​chol·​o·​gy ˌper-ə-(ˌ)sī-ˈkä-lə-jē How to pronounce parapsychology (audio)
ˌpa-rə-
: a field of study concerned with the investigation of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena (such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis)
parapsychological adjective
parapsychologist noun

Examples of parapsychology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Today, a surprising number of colleges and universities offer opportunities to study and even conduct research in parapsychology. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2021 In fact, the evil eye belief was neatly ported over from traditional folklore to the pseudo-science of parapsychology in the 19th century. Ben Thomas, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2016 Wales border, Barker had a sideline in parapsychology. Kathryn Hughes, The New York Review of Books, 19 Oct. 2022 At risk is the enormous, one-of-a-kind Eileen J. Garrett Library, a staggering archive of books, scholarly papers, photographs, letters and some 600 videos documenting the broad and complicated field of parapsychology in the 20th century. New York Times, 23 Mar. 2022 Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in Ivan Reitman’s sci-fi comedy classic, written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 21 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parapsychology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of parapsychology was in 1925

Dictionary Entries Near parapsychology

Cite this Entry

“Parapsychology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parapsychology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

parapsychology

noun
para·​psy·​chol·​o·​gy ˌpar-ə-(ˌ)sī-ˈkäl-ə-jē How to pronounce parapsychology (audio)
plural parapsychologies
: a field of study concerned with the investigation of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena (as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis)

More from Merriam-Webster on parapsychology

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!