behavioral
adjective
be·hav·ior·al
bi-ˈhā-vyə-rəl 
bē-
1
: of or relating to behavior : pertaining to reactions made in response to social stimuli
behavioral problems
behavioral similarities
Half of all potential guide dogs don't get final clearance because of medical or behavioral issues.—
Cassie Kreitner
Cassie Kreitner2
: relating to or concerned with the social, psychological, and emotional factors that affect financial decisions and behavior
behavioral economics
Behavioral finance … holds that financial man—far from the perfect, mechanical trader depicted in textbooks—is a rather neurotic fellow. He follows the crowd, fails to plan ahead and often makes mistakes.—Roger Lowenstein
Roger Lowenstein
behaviorally
bi-ˈhā-vyə-rə-lē
adverb
bē-
… gradually came to the conclusion that the wild dogs are physically and behaviorally distinct enough to constitute a uniform breed.
—Christine Mlot
Christine Mlot
Examples of behavioral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Syntrologie is developing an adaptive layer that allows websites to evolve based on each visitor’s behavior, merging behavioral insight with real-time machine intelligence.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
As both industries barrel through the all-important holiday season, a growing number of beauty brands are taking marketing, branding and behavioral cues from toys.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 23 Dec. 2025
Both had previous contact with Lynch and were aware of his behavioral issues.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 23 Dec. 2025
The same candidates who might work at DYS are also being recruited by adult corrections, public safety departments and behavioral health employers, Stojsavljevic said, leading to fierce competition for these applicants.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behavioral
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
As both industries barrel through the all-important holiday season, a growing number of beauty brands are taking marketing, branding and behavioral cues from toys.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 23 Dec. 2025
Both had previous contact with Lynch and were aware of his behavioral issues.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 23 Dec. 2025
The same candidates who might work at DYS are also being recruited by adult corrections, public safety departments and behavioral health employers, Stojsavljevic said, leading to fierce competition for these applicants.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behavioral
Cite this Entry
“Behavioral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behavioral. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share