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.
When Robert Stickgold, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, began to study sleep and dreams in the 1990s, scientists who studied dreams were few and far between. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 18 Aug. 2026 He is trained in psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center through Harvard University. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 Neurology refers them back to psychiatry because their scans are normal. — Mackenzi Moore, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026 The researchers accounted for confounding factors such as age, race, history of hypertension and other traits, notes Jacob Shaw, a study co-author and psychiatry resident at Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 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 19 Aug. 2026.

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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

Nglish: Translation of psychiatry for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about psychiatry

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