cognitive behavioral therapy

noun

variants or less commonly cognitive behavior therapy

: psychotherapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy by identifying faulty or maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior and substituting them with desirable patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior

—abbreviation CBT

Note: Cognitive behavioral therapy is used in the treatment of various mental and emotional disorders including depression, anxiety, anorexia, and substance abuse. Cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are often used interchangeably.

Cognitive behavioral therapy prods patients to do things that will make them feel a sense of accomplishment and connection, and to avoid interpreting situations as being worse than they are.

—David H. Freedman

The most scientifically studied technique, cognitive behavior therapy, teaches people to identify and dispute self-degrading thoughts … that can feed on themselves and cause people to sink into despair.

—Benedict Carey

Examples of cognitive behavioral therapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After months of antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy, the crises seemed controlled. —Deldhy Nicolás Moya Sánchez, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

The leading psychotherapy for these conditions is cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which is often combined with SSRIs. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026

Everyone in the study also underwent cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking cessation over the course of 13 weeks. —Will Stone, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026

While medical or psychological intervention can be recommended for treatment of depression, a study conducted by the same researchers only a couple of months earlier, found mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy could be effective for non-physical symptoms of menopause. —Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cognitive behavioral therapy

• brachytherapy
• chemotherapy
• cryotherapy
• hydrotherapy
• hypnotherapy
• monotherapy
• phototherapy
• psychotherapy
• sclerotherapy
• immunotherapy
• pharmacotherapy
• physiotherapy

Medical Definition

cognitive behavioral therapy

noun

variants also cognitive behavior therapy

: psychotherapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy by identifying faulty or maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior and substituting them with desirable patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior

—abbreviation CBT

Note: Cognitive behavioral therapy is used in the treatment of various mental and emotional disorders including depression, anxiety, anorexia, and substance abuse. Cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are often used interchangeably.

Cognitive behavioral therapy prods patients to do things that will make them feel a sense of accomplishment and connection, and to avoid interpreting situations as being worse than they are.

—David H. Freedman, Discover

The most scientifically studied technique, cognitive behavior therapy, teaches people to identify and dispute self-degrading thoughts … that can feed on themselves and cause people to sink into despair.

—Benedict Carey, The New York Times