as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in soul
an immaterial force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power
disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mind
the part of a person that feels, thinks, perceives, wills, and especially reasons
a novel that explores the psyche of a depressed teen
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Recent Examples of psych (up)
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 27 May 2025
Now, the world is essentially the puppet of the A.I. big bad known as The Entity, which has gotten its grubby digital claws into the global psyche as well as most of the world’s nuclear arsenals.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
David Cronenberg’s coolly perverse Dead Ringers dissects the entangled psyche of identical twin gynecologists, Beverly and Elliot Mantle (an iconic dual performance by Jeremy Irons).
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
The brand has cracked the code of the Chinese Gen Z psyche, tapping into their desire for self-expression, community connection and cultural identity.
—Footwear News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Noun
Shopper psyche is critical to the economy as consumers do roughly two-thirds of all spending throughout the economy.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 27 May 2025
Now, the world is essentially the puppet of the A.I. big bad known as The Entity, which has gotten its grubby digital claws into the global psyche as well as most of the world’s nuclear arsenals.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
David Cronenberg’s coolly perverse Dead Ringers dissects the entangled psyche of identical twin gynecologists, Beverly and Elliot Mantle (an iconic dual performance by Jeremy Irons).
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
The brand has cracked the code of the Chinese Gen Z psyche, tapping into their desire for self-expression, community connection and cultural identity.
—Footwear News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (up)
Verb
-
Some of the nation’s leading tourist destinations, including Orlando, Miami and Los Angeles, are bracing for how the decline will impact businesses that rely on spending from international travelers.—
Jason Carroll,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
-
Analysts were bracing for a weaker result that would reflect the impact of Trump’s tariff policies, and other signs of a potentially slowing economy.—
Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
One such soul was Madeline Buol (1902–1986), a devout Catholic and beauty shop owner living in Dubuque, IA, right across the Mississippi River from Dickeyville.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Based on his belief that human souls after death can travel through space in a way that the living body cannot, Flammarion’s novels include dream journeys as well as the accounts of deceased friends or fictional characters.—
Matthew Shindell,
The Conversation,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Adaptation keeps you top of mind when budgets tighten.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Making pictures is what our minds do naturally with the fragments of our experience.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
Ureña, a hard-throwing right-hander who was signed on Tuesday to help fortify a bullpen that has been ravaged by injuries, replaced Dreyer with a runner on first and one out in the sixth and gave up a single to Pete Alonso.—
Mike Digiovanna,
Oc Register,
5 June 2025
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Bristol Myers Squibb on Monday made a splashy move to fortify its drug pipeline.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Rush, who held degrees from Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley, had an adventurous spirit, per his obituary in the New York Times.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
-
Feminine elements such as florals, draping, and oversized fans nod to the artistry of couture, keeping the spirit of Balmain both rooted in tradition and forward-looking in its vision.—
Essence,
Essence,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
According to Tanzi, exercise induces new nerve cell growth to strengthen brain regions affected in Alzheimer’s disease and triggers the breakdown of brain amyloid.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
-
All of a sudden, the brains don't went just cloudy.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, del Toro is readying his version of the Mary Shelley horror classic, Frankenstein, for release on Netflix sometime in November.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
The team’s appalling record in the Premier League was extended and is worthy of fully detailing, but everyone’s immediate focus was on readying for that Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Delimitros said one of the truck’s side view mirrors struck her in the head, causing minor injuries.—
David Hernandez,
sandiegouniontribune.com,
19 July 2017
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Cal Fire representatives said the current parking mess has already impacted them because the driveway to their station enters the highway not far from the trail head.—
J. Harry Jones,
Ramona Sentinel,
19 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Psych (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psych%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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