psychosomatic
adjective
Herbert Ratner
Did you know?
Since the Greek word soma means "body", psychosomatic suggests the link between mind and body. Since one's mental state may have an important effect on one's physical state, research on new medicines always involves giving some patients in the experiment a placebo (fake medicine), and some who receive the sugar pills will seem to improve. You may hear someone say of someone else's symptoms, "Oh, it's probably just psychosomatic", implying that the physical pain or illness is imaginary--maybe just an attempt to get sympathy--and that the person could will it away if he or she wanted to. But this can be harsh and unfair, since, whatever the cause is, the pain is usually real.
Examples of psychosomatic in a Sentence
Katie Camero, SELF, 11 Oct. 2024
Her mysterious symptoms puzzled doctors, at least one of whom suggested the pain was psychosomatic.
—Sophie Dodd, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024
But its English-language title is perhaps more revealing, referring to a psychosomatic condition that hits people who’ve survived a drowning incident, or else have witnessed someone else drowning.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2024
The share of employees reporting at least one psychosomatic symptom, including burnout, exhaustion, mood disorders, and disengagement, now reportedly stands at 72%.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 10 July 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near psychosomatic
Cite this Entry
“Psychosomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychosomatic. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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psychosomatic
adjective
Medical Definition
psychosomatic
1 of 2 adjective
Herbert Ratnerpsychosomatic
2 of 2 noun
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