psychology

noun

psy·chol·o·gy | \ sī-ˈkä-lə-jē

plural psychologies

Definition of psychology

1 : the science of mind and behavior

2a : the mental or behavioral characteristics of an individual or group

b : the study of mind and behavior in relation to a particular field of knowledge or activity

3 : a theory or system of psychology Freudian psychology the psychology of Jung

Other Words from psychology The Roots of Psychology More Example Sentences Learn More about psychology

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The Roots of Psychology

The word psychology was formed by combining the Greek psychē (meaning “breath, principle of life, life, soul,”) with –logia (which comes from the Greek logos, meaning “speech, word, reason”). An early use appears in Nicholas Culpeper’s mid-17th century translation of Simeon Partliz’s A New Method of Physick, in which it is stated that “Psychologie is the knowledg of the Soul.” Today, psychology is concerned with the science or study of the mind and behavior. Many branches of psychology are differentiated by the specific field to which they belong, such as animal psychology, child psychology, and sports psychology.

Examples of psychology in a Sentence

She studied psychology in college. the psychology of an athlete the psychology of crowd behavior We need to understand the psychologies of the two people involved in the incident.

Recent Examples on the Web

But psychology has been a sustained and particularly loud voice in the conversation, with projects like the Center for Open Science aiming to understand the scope of the problem and trying to fix it. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "Social science has a complicated, infinitely tricky replication crisis," 28 Aug. 2018 The psychology was that of a game that required her to be constantly on alert. — Sarah Kessler, WIRED, "The Crazy Hacks One Woman Used to Make Money on Mechanical Turk," 12 June 2018 Fast-forward to the confirmation hearing of then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, when California psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford alleged Kavanaugh assaulted her. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "Lies, lies and more lies. Out of an old Tacoma house, fact-checking site Snopes uncovers them," 10 Oct. 2018 Paul Slovic, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and the president of the nonprofit Decision Research, has a few ideas about what might be going on. — Rachel Sugar, Vox, "It’s hard to give up cash.," 15 Nov. 2018 Someone who has researched conspiracy thinkers is Joshua Hart, an associate professor of psychology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "Lies, lies and more lies. Out of an old Tacoma house, fact-checking site Snopes uncovers them," 10 Oct. 2018 His main concern is with the theorists who described (and justified) the psychology required to live in such a world. — Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, "‘Power, Pleasure, and Profit’ Review: Self-Mastery Versus Self-Interest," 5 Oct. 2018 Ford's intellect and deep knowledge of her field of psychology also did not go unnoticed. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Women Shared Their Reactions to Christine Blasey Ford's Powerful Testimony on Twitter," 27 Sep. 2018 On the way back to the hotel, Patrick asks a few questions about the tennis world and the psychology of tennis players in general. — Longreads, "Tennis vs. Tennis," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'psychology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near psychology

Statistics for psychology

Last Updated

12 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for psychology

The first known use of psychology was in 1749

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More Definitions for psychology

psychology

noun

English Language Learners Definition of psychology

: the science or study of the mind and behavior

: the way a person or group thinks

See the full definition for psychology in the English Language Learners Dictionary

psychology

noun

psy·chol·o·gy | \ sī-ˈkä-lə-jē

Kids Definition of psychology

: the science that studies the mind and behavior

psychology

noun

psy·chol·o·gy | \ -jē

plural psychologies

Medical Definition of psychology

1 : the science of mind and behavior

2a : the mental or behavioral characteristics typical of an individual or group or a particular form of behavior mob psychology the psychology of arson

b : the study of mind and behavior in relation to a particular field of knowledge or activity color psychology the psychology of learning

3 : a treatise on or a school, system, or branch of psychology