noun ·6 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A family of theories and methods within the field of psychotherapy that work to find connections among patients' unconscious mental processes. countable, uncountable

   "To be sure, this much I may presume you do know, namely, that psychoanalysis is a method of treating nervous patients medically."

2. 2
   a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

adlerian psychologyanalysisanalysisanalytical psychologyapperceptionismassociation psychology

Example

More examples

"Freud originated psychoanalysis."

Etymology

From international scientific vocabulary, after German Psychoanalyse. By surface analysis, psycho- + analysis.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.