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

Formerly the department chair of psychiatry at Ohio State University, Nasrallah is now an emeritus professor at the University of Cincinnati. —Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Tore Nielsen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal who has studied the topic, does not think that the condition, in most cases, is serious enough to consult a doctor. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 1 July 2025

To conduct the current study, Tore Nielsen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, and his colleagues surveyed 1,082 students at MacEwan University in Alberta. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 July 2025

In psychiatry, for instance, stress-monitoring wearables could inform more tailored, dynamic treatment protocols based on real-time physiological feedback. —Ximena Araya-Fischel, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

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