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

The only other major parapsychology unit in the United States was Princeton’s Engineering Anomalies Research Laboratory, or PEAR, which focused on telekinesis and extrasensory perception. —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

Wales border, Barker had a sideline in parapsychology. —Kathryn Hughes, The New York Review of Books, 19 Oct. 2022

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

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 | [e-mail], al, 21 Sep. 2021

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)