parapsychology

noun

para·​psy·​chol·​o·​gy ˌper-ə-(ˌ)sī-ˈkä-lə-jē 

ˌpa-rə-

: a field of study concerned with the investigation of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena (such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis)

parapsychological

ˌper-ə-ˌsī-kə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

adjective

parapsychologist

ˌper-ə-(ˌ)sī-ˈkä-lə-jist 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

Examples of parapsychology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond parapsychology, to what extent did the Soviet internet become possible thanks to perestroika, and to what extent did perestroika become possible thanks to the Soviet internet? — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 28 Oct. 2026

In Sarah Pekkanen’s new thriller, The Women in White, a young health-care aide probes how four female participants in a 1964 parapsychology experiment suddenly vanished. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026

The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies is one of the most prominent parapsychology research units in the world. — Saskia Solomon, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025

Three fired parapsychology professors from Columbia University start a paranormal investigation company, Ghostbusters, after an encounter with a ghost in the New York Public Library. — Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for parapsychology

• bacteriology
• biotechnology
• dialectology
• ecclesiology
• endocrinology
• epistemology
• geochronology
• geomorphology
• histopathology
• hydrogeology
• kinesiology
• meteorology

Medical Definition

parapsychology

noun

para·​psy·​chol·​o·​gy ˌpar-ə-(ˌ)sī-ˈkäl-ə-jē 

plural parapsychologies

: a field of study concerned with the investigation of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena (as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis)