psychosomatic

adjective

psy·​cho·​so·​mat·​ic ˌsī-kō-sə-ˈma-tik 

1

: of, relating to, concerned with, or involving both mind and body

the psychosomatic nature of man

—Herbert Ratner

2

: of, relating to, involving, or concerned with bodily symptoms caused by mental or emotional disturbance

psychosomatic symptoms

psychosomatic medicine

psychosomatically

ˌsī-kō-sə-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Since the Greek word soma means "body", psychosomatic suggests the link between mind and body. Since one's mental state may have an important effect on one's physical state, research on new medicines always involves giving some patients in the experiment a placebo (fake medicine), and some who receive the sugar pills will seem to improve. You may hear someone say of someone else's symptoms, "Oh, it's probably just psychosomatic", implying that the physical pain or illness is imaginary--maybe just an attempt to get sympathy--and that the person could will it away if he or she wanted to. But this can be harsh and unfair, since, whatever the cause is, the pain is usually real.

Examples of psychosomatic in a Sentence

The doctor told her that her stomach problems were psychosomatic.

Recent Examples on the Web

African American women also report more psychosomatic symptoms, such as mood and sleep disturbances. —Sophie Okolo, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

Family members can also develop psychosomatic consequences such as chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, and a general sense of disorientation. —William Mullane, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025

Jung warned that dismissing this call leads to a shadow life of projection (envying those who live authentically), self-sabotage or psychosomatic symptoms as the psyche demands course correction. —Brittney Van Matre, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Her other issues — low blood pressure, an unrelenting cough, the retching — were waived as psychosomatic. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

circa 1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for psychosomatic

• adiabatic
• aristocratic
• asymptomatic
• axiomatic
• diagrammatic
• diaphragmatic
• electrostatic
• endolymphatic
• epigrammatic
• homeostatic
• idiomatic
• magnetostatic

Kids Definition

psychosomatic

adjective

psy·​cho·​so·​mat·​ic ˌsī-kō-sə-ˈmat-ik 

: of, relating to, or being symptoms of the body that are caused by disturbances (as stress) originating in the mind

Medical Definition

psychosomatic

1 of 2 adjective

psy·​cho·​so·​mat·​ic ˌsī-kə-sə-ˈmat-ik, -kō-, -sō- 

1

: of, relating to, concerned with, or involving both mind and body

the psychosomatic nature of man

—Herbert Ratner

2

a

: of, relating to, involving, or concerned with bodily symptoms caused by mental or emotional disturbance

psychosomatic illness

psychosomatic medicine

b

: exhibiting psychosomatic symptoms

a psychosomatic patient

psychosomatically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

psychosomatic

2 of 2 noun

: an individual exhibiting psychosomatic symptoms