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
ˌsī-kē-ˈa-trik How to pronounce psychiatry (audio)
adjective
psychiatrically
ˌsī-kē-ˈa-tri-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce psychiatry (audio)
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.
So the data on what was happening in their blood needs to be confirmed in follow-up studies before making definitive claims, says Aoife O'Donovan, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UCSF and co-author of the paper. — Will Stone, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026 With the exception of gambling disorder, behavioral addictions have received slim recognition in psychiatry’s diagnostic manuals—although doctors and researchers often still treat them as legitimate and potentially devastating disorders. — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Plans include growing its psychiatry residency, expanding adolescent psychiatry fellowships, and launching an addiction medicine fellowship to prepare future specialists. — Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026 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

Rhymes for psychiatry

See All Rhymes for psychiatry

Browse Nearby Words

psychiatrist
psychiatry
psychic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Psychiatry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychiatry. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

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
ˌsī-kē-ˈa-trik How to pronounce psychiatry (audio)
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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about psychiatry

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All