psychic
C1Formal to informal depending on context; often appears in metaphysical, psychological, and popular culture discussions.
Definition
Meaning
Relating to the human mind, soul, or spirit; possessing mental abilities beyond normal physical explanation.
A person claiming to have extrasensory perception or the ability to perceive information hidden from normal senses; also describes phenomena not explainable by known physical laws.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Has both scientific/psychological and paranormal meanings; context determines whether it refers to mental processes (psychic research) or supernatural abilities (psychic powers).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. British English may show slightly higher frequency in parapsychological research contexts.
Connotations
Similar connotations in both varieties: either neutral/scientific or skeptical/supernatural depending on context.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties; no significant frequency difference.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
be psychichave psychic abilitiesclaim to be psychicexperience psychic phenomenaVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “psychic distance”
- “psychic numbing”
- “psychic income”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare except in specific industries like entertainment or alternative therapies.
Academic
Used in psychology, parapsychology, and consciousness studies with specific technical meanings.
Everyday
Common in discussions about supernatural phenomena, horoscopes, or intuitive feelings.
Technical
In psychology: relating to mental processes; in parapsychology: denoting ESP phenomena.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She claimed she could psychic the location of the missing jewellery.
American English
- They believe some animals can psychic impending earthquakes.
adverb
British English
- The medium worked psychically to contact spirits.
American English
- She perceived the events psychically before they happened.
adjective
British English
- He had a psychic experience during meditation in Glastonbury.
American English
- There's a psychic connection between the twins in Ohio.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Some people believe in psychic powers.
- She went to see a psychic about her future.
- The psychic predicted major changes in my life.
- They felt a psychic connection despite being miles apart.
- Parapsychologists study psychic phenomena under controlled conditions.
- His apparent psychic abilities were debunked by scientific testing.
- The concept of psychic energy bridges psychological and spiritual frameworks.
- Critics argue that most psychic demonstrations exploit cognitive biases and suggestion.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
PSYCHIC sounds like 'sigh kick' – imagine someone sighing because they can kick-start their mind to see the future.
Conceptual Metaphor
MIND AS A RADIO RECEIVER (picking up signals others cannot)
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'псих' (psycho) which means mentally ill person
- Don't translate as 'психолог' (psychologist) which is a different profession
- Be careful with 'психический' which usually means mental/psychological rather than paranormal
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'physic' or 'psyhic'
- Confusing adjective and noun forms ('a psychic person' vs 'she is a psychic')
- Using interchangeably with 'psychological' in scientific contexts
Practice
Quiz
Which context uses 'psychic' in its psychological rather than paranormal meaning?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, 'psychological' refers to mental processes and behavior studied scientifically, while 'psychic' typically refers to paranormal abilities or phenomena beyond normal explanation.
Yes, though relatively rare, it can be used informally as a verb meaning to perceive or know psychically (e.g., 'She psychicked the answer').
A psychic generally claims extrasensory perception about present or future events, while a medium specifically claims to communicate with spirits of the deceased.
In mainstream psychology, it's not generally accepted as scientific; in parapsychology, it's a technical term for studied phenomena, though controversial in broader science.
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