psychologist

noun

psy·​chol·​o·​gist sī-ˈkä-lə-jist 

plural psychologists

: a person who specializes in the study of mind and behavior or in the treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders : a specialist in psychology

Examples of psychologist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here, two psychologists share their best tips for recovering after a long (and draining) weekend with the fam. —Julia Ries Wexler, SELF, 26 Dec. 2025

While people have often sought comfort in fantasy and escapism—as the popularity of romance novels and daytime soap operas attest—psychologists say that the way in which some people are using chatbots, and the blurring of the line between fantasy and real life, is unprecedented. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025

David Dastmalchian stars as Jack Delroy, an opportunistic host who invites a possessed girl and a child psychologist as his guests for the night in a desperate bid for ratings. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025

In the infamous 1971 Stanford prison experiment, for example, psychologists assigned study participants to serve either as a hypothetical guard or as a hypothetical prisoner and found that the guards quickly turned abusive. —Caleb Pomeroy, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing psychologist

• clinical psychologist

Rhymes for psychologist

• apologist
• biologist
• ecologist
• ethnologist
• geologist
• hydrologist
• neurologist
• oncologist
• pathologist
• philologist
• technologist
• urologist

Kids Definition

psychologist

noun

psy·​chol·​o·​gist

sī-ˈkäl-ə-jəst

: a specialist in psychology

Medical Definition

psychologist

noun

psy·​chol·​o·​gist sī-ˈkäl-ə-jəst 

: a specialist in psychology

especially : a practitioner of clinical psychology, counseling, or guidance