Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

psychobabble

noun

/ˈsaɪkoʊˌbæbəl/

Definition

Psychobabble refers to language or terminology that is jargon-filled and often confusing, used in the field of psychology, particularly when discussing mental health topics, in a way that may lack clarity or comprehension for the average person.

Examples

The therapist used a lot of psychobabble that left her clients more confused than enlightened.
In the meeting, there was so much psychobabble that it was hard to follow the main points of the discussion.
Many self-help books are criticized for their excessive use of psychobabble.

Meaning

The term is often used to describe pretentious or unnecessarily complex terms and phrases that can obscure meaning and make simple concepts seem more complicated than they really are.