psychiatry

noun

psy·​chi·​a·​try sə-ˈkī-ə-trē 

sī-

: a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders

psychiatric

ˌsī-kē-ˈa-trik 

adjective

psychiatrically

ˌsī-kē-ˈa-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of psychiatry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Hub brings early-stage organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit, into three-month cohorts and pairs them with Georgetown experts across psychiatry, psychology, pediatrics, public health, social work, and developmental science. —Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

The Cut Will ‘psychiatry’s Bible’ add a postpartum psychosis diagnosis? —Ellie Austin, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026

David Mandell, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the idea that wildfire smoke exposure could raise autism risk is broadly consistent with previous research linking air pollution exposure during the mother's pregnancy to poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026

But the limitations cut both ways, said Jonathan Sebat, professor of psychiatry and cellular biology at the University of California, San Diego. —O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from French psychiatrie, from psychiatre psychiatrist, from psych- psych- + Greek iatros physician — more at -iatry

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for psychiatry

• gayatri
• neuropsychiatry
• orthopsychiatry

Kids Definition

psychiatry

noun

psy·​chi·​a·​try sə-ˈkī-ə-trē 

sī-

: a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the mind, emotions, or behavior

psychiatric

ˌsī-kē-ˈa-trik 

adjective

Medical Definition

psychiatry

noun

psy·​chi·​a·​try -trē 

plural psychiatries

: a branch of medicine that deals with the science and practice of treating mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders especially as originating in endogenous causes or resulting from faulty interpersonal relationships