psychiatry

noun

psy·​chi·​a·​try sə-ˈkī-ə-trē How to pronounce psychiatry (audio)
sī-
: a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders
psychiatric adjective
psychiatrically adverb

Examples of psychiatry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Wendy Spettigue, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Ottawa, said that these effects are typical of starvation. Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025 The company brought on additional experts in psychiatry. Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025 That's from a study conducted by scientists at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine working in the field of psychiatry, in partnership with genetic testing firm 23andMe. Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025 There’s no such thing as too much attention for the measures considering their role in saving lives, said Amy Barnhorst, a psychiatry professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine and associate director of the UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention. Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for psychiatry

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of psychiatry was in 1828

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Psychiatry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychiatry. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

psychiatry

noun
psy·​chi·​a·​try sə-ˈkī-ə-trē How to pronounce psychiatry (audio)
sī-
: a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the mind, emotions, or behavior
psychiatric adjective

Medical Definition

psychiatry

noun
psy·​chi·​a·​try -trē How to pronounce psychiatry (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on psychiatry

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