behavioral
adjective
be·hav·ior·al
bi-ˈhā-vyə-rəl 
bē-
1
: of or relating to behavior : pertaining to reactions made in response to social stimuli
behavioral problems
behavioral similarities
Half of all potential guide dogs don't get final clearance because of medical or behavioral issues.—
Cassie Kreitner
Cassie Kreitner2
: relating to or concerned with the social, psychological, and emotional factors that affect financial decisions and behavior
behavioral economics
Behavioral finance … holds that financial man—far from the perfect, mechanical trader depicted in textbooks—is a rather neurotic fellow. He follows the crowd, fails to plan ahead and often makes mistakes.—Roger Lowenstein
Roger Lowenstein
behaviorally
bi-ˈhā-vyə-rə-lē
adverb
bē-
… gradually came to the conclusion that the wild dogs are physically and behaviorally distinct enough to constitute a uniform breed.
—Christine Mlot
Christine Mlot
Examples of behavioral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rather than rely on guesswork or data-heavy behavioral analytics, the company offers a deterministic authentication model rooted in hardware: the secure chip already inside every SIM and eSIM card.
—Jon Stojan, USA Today, 7 June 2025
On the other hand, there was this unmistakable megatrend around behavioral insurance.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
Due to a combination of biological advantages—such as protective effects of estrogen and stronger immune responses—and behavioral factors like lower rates of risky activities, better health-seeking habits, and less exposure to occupational hazards and violence, women live longer than men.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
The company focuses on skilled nursing/transitional care facilities, senior housing, behavioral health facilities and specialty hospitals.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for behavioral
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.
Jon Stojan, USA Today, 7 June 2025
On the other hand, there was this unmistakable megatrend around behavioral insurance.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
Due to a combination of biological advantages—such as protective effects of estrogen and stronger immune responses—and behavioral factors like lower rates of risky activities, better health-seeking habits, and less exposure to occupational hazards and violence, women live longer than men.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
The company focuses on skilled nursing/transitional care facilities, senior housing, behavioral health facilities and specialty hospitals.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for behavioral
Cite this Entry
“Behavioral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behavioral. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share