psychobabble

English

Etymology

From psycho- +‎ babble. First use appears c. 1975 in an article by R.D. Rosen. See cite below.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪkəʊbab(ə)l/
Hyphenation: psy‧cho‧bab‧ble

Noun

psychobabble (uncountable)

(somewhat derogatory) The jargon of psychology and psychoanalysis, especially when used pretentiously to discuss mundane issues. [from 20th c.]
- May 27, 1975, R.D. Rosen, Boston Phoenix:
  We are living, practically no one has to be reminded, in a therapeutic age. The sign in every storefront reads: "Psychobabble spoken here".
- 1977 December 3, “Psychobabble”, in Time:
  The psychological patter of the '70s is as inescapable as Muzak and just as numbing: Are you relating? Going through heavy changes? In touch with yourself and doing your own thing? Are you up front, or just hung up and uptight? Boston Writer R.D. (for Richard Dean) Rosen calls it psychobabble, and in his new book by that title (Atheneum, $8.95) sees America awash in soggy therapeutic clichés.
- 2007, Max Brooks, “Saving Mel Brooks”, in Mens Health, section 22.2:
  He didn't want to hear any new-age psychobabble, like " find your inner peace."

Verb

psychobabble (third-person singular simple present psychobabbles, present participle psychobabbling, simple past and past participle psychobabbled)

(intransitive) To speak or converse using this kind of jargon.

Derived terms

psychobabbler