psychological

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Connected with the mind and with the way people think, feel and behave.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: psychological effects; it can also follow be: the damage was psychological.

   Patterns

   • psychological effects on someone
   • psychological well-being

   Losing a job can have a serious psychological effect on a family.

   The coach worked on the players' psychological preparation as much as their fitness.

   Doctors found nothing wrong physically, so the cause may be psychological.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Existing mainly in the mind rather than in reality, or aimed at influencing how someone feels.

   Grammar: Appears before nouns such as barrier, warfare or trick: a psychological barrier.

   Patterns

   • a psychological barrier
   • psychological pressure

   Running a mile in under four minutes was once seen as a psychological barrier.

   The early goal gave the home side a big psychological advantage.

   Advertisers sometimes use psychological tricks to make a product feel scarce.

Common combinations

psychological well-being

The study looked at how green spaces affect psychological well-being.

psychological trauma

Survivors often suffer lasting psychological trauma.

psychological support

The school offers psychological support to students during exams.

psychological barrier

Fear of failure became a psychological barrier for her.

psychological thriller

We watched a psychological thriller that kept us guessing until the end.

psychological impact

The psychological impact of the flood lasted for years.

Synonyms and how they differ

mental

Mental is the everyday word for anything of the mind, while psychological suggests the study or workings of thoughts and feelings.

emotional

Emotional focuses on feelings only, whereas psychological can also cover thinking, memory and behavior.

cognitive

Cognitive is narrower and more technical, referring to thinking, learning and memory rather than the mind in general.

Opposites

Word family

psychology noun

the scientific study of the mind and behavior

psychologist noun

a person trained to study or treat mental processes and behavior

psychologically adverb

in a way that relates to the mind

psychologize verb

to explain or analyze something in psychological terms

Commonly confused: psychological or psychiatric? psychological or physiological?

Practice

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