What does "psychograph" mean?
One of various graphical representations of a cognitive or psychological profile.
Psychograph
noun, verb
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of various graphical representations of a cognitive or psychological profile.
- Grammar: psychograph is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: psychometrics.
- Usage evidence: Museum founder and curator Bob McCoy says the Psychograph was the first piece in his large collection of ill-advised medical devices.
How to use "psychograph"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "psychograph" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "psychograph" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "psychograph" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "psychograph" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "psychograph" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "psychometrics" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "psychograph", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One of various graphical representations of a cognitive or psychological profile.
"The chaplains' psychograph is notable because of the extreme variation in scores; thus on test 4 (opposites) the chaplains achieve a median score which is much higher than that of any other group, whereas on tests 2 (arithmetic) and 6 (number series completion) they fall considerably below the median for all officers."
- 2 A photographic image having a supposed supernatural or spiritual origin.
"In this article he deals with the still more remarkable impressions, known as "psychographs," which they have obtained on photographic plates without exposing them at all, and which Mr. Lethem claims could only be produced by "spirit" agency."
- 3 Any of various devices used for automatic writing.
"A psychograph or a planchette is an apparatus used in spiritistic circles as an instrument for receiving written messages from the spirits of the dead."
- 4 Any of various devices that purportedly read a person's thoughts.
"The psychograph was a novelty device featured in department stores and theater lobbies during the depression of the 1930s. The machine was used to measure the bumps on an individual's head and, according to the principles of the pseudoscience of phrenology, said to reveal the subject's personality and most suitable vocation."
- 5 psychobiography
"Thus, any attempt to write a biography of McClellan inevitably "devolves into a psychograph.""
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A piece of prose that describes hallucinations or phantoms.
"For Jolas, the modern poet's function involved a rediscovery of the vertical elements in creation, establishing through art a "Sense of the miraculous" through new forms such as the "anamyth" (a narrative of what he termed "preconscious relationships") and the "psychograph" (a hallucinatory prose text), both classifications which he might have used to describe Crane's The Bridge."
- 7 A photograph, film, or other recorded image that evokes the feeling of a person, time, or place.
"Those eyes seemed to be looking through peepholes forged in the intractable stuff of life itself, and they suggested light, light, light, projected out of the brain pan into a radiance such as one had on a perfect New England summer day. It was the painting beneath the Hopper picture — they came together, not incongruously, as a psychograph of Aline's struggle, and yes, he would use the term, unacknowledged victory."
Verb
- 1 To produce a psychograph (any sense).
"That his personal level of instruction was very low is a well-known fact – and has the effect of enhancing the results of his psychographed poetry."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Museum founder and curator Bob McCoy says the Psychograph was the first piece in his large collection of ill-advised medical devices."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "psychograph"?
Common synonyms include: psychometrics.
How do you use "psychograph" in a sentence?
Museum founder and curator Bob McCoy says the Psychograph was the first piece in his large collection of ill-advised medical devices.
Etymology
From psycho- + -graph.