Standard Lemma guide

behavioral

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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Received-Pronunciation: /bɪˈheɪvjəɹəl/
Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American: /bɪˈheɪvjəɹəl/
Canada, General-American: /bəˈheɪvjəɹəl/
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian: /bɪˈhæɪvjəɹəl/
New-Zealand: /bəˈhæɪvjəɹəl/
CMU ARPABET: B IH0 HH EY1 V Y ER0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2: B IY0 HH EY1 V Y ER0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

adj

Meaning 1

Of or relating to behavior.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

adjective

Meaning 2

of or relating to behavior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

behavioral sciences

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: behavioural

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną Proto-West Germanic *habbjan Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan Old English behabban Middle English behaven Proto-Indo-European *gheh1bh- Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1yeti Proto-Indo-European *ghh1bhéh1yeti Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old French avoirbor. Middle English havour Middle English behavoure English behavior English -al English behavioral From behavior + -al.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

French: comportemental — of or relating to behavior
Italian: comportamentale — of or relating to behavior
Polish: behawioralny — of or relating to behavior
Portuguese: comportamental — of or relating to behavior
Russian: поведе́нческий (povedénčeskij) — of or relating to behavior
Spanish: del comportamiento — of or relating to behavior
Spanish: conductual — of or relating to behavior
Turkish: davranışsal — of or relating to behavior

Word forms

Inflections and variants

behavioural — alternative

Word family

Derived and related words

Derived: behavioral contagion, behavioral crisis, behavioral economics, behavioral economist, behavioral force, behavioralist, behaviorally, behavioral objective, behavioral pattern, behavioral psychology, behavioral science, behavioral sink, behavioral subtyping, biobehavioral, cognitive behavioral therapist, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, interbehavioral, macrobehavioral, neurobehavioral, nonbehavioral, pharmacobehavioral, postbehavioral, psychobehavioral, serobehavioral, trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy

Related: behaviorism, behaviorist, emotion, person, psychology, behavior

Semantic map

Other relationships

Hyponyms: conflicted, uncertain, unpredictable, ambivalent, fickle, flighty, mercurial, indecisive, irresolute, moody, temperamental, vacillating, volatile, wavering, assertive, certain, confident, decisive, obstinate, stubborn, arbitrary, capricious, explosive, fastidious, meticulous, pedantic, prompt, punctual, cautious, economical, frugal, miserly, prudent, thrifty, stingy, careless, impulsive, prodigal, reckless, intelligent, unintelligent, hardy, inured, lusty, robust, strong, vigorous, fragile, frail, vulnerable, weak, audacious, bold, brave, courageous, daring, fearless, intrepid, stalwart, temerarious, unafraid, afraid, anxious, apprehensive, cowardly, fearful, nervous, selfconscious, bossy, dominant, domineering, imperious, docile, obedient, passive, submissive, adaptable, thick-skinned, flexible, resilient, well-adjusted, depressed, desperate, despairing, hopeless, overdesperate, active, animated, boisterous, brisk, energetic, exuberant, industrious, lively, apathetic, indifferent, indolent, lazy, lethargic, phlegmatic, sluggish, torpid, effusive, emotional, enthusiastic, fiery, gushy, obsessive, passionate, romantic, sentimental, spirited, unrestrained, cheery, hopeful, sunny, cagey, cynical, disillusioned, distrustful, doubtful, embittered, guarded, jaded, overskeptical, skeptical, suspicious, wary, accommodating, altruistic, beneficent, charitable, generous, philanthropic, avaricious, greedy, narcissistic, self-absorbed, self-centered, selfish, irritable, oversensitive, thin-skinned, touchy, aggressive, callous, combative, contemptuous, disdainful, inattentive, inconsiderate, insensitive, intolerant, misanthropic, scornful, superficial, tactless, thoughtless, humble, modest, unpretentious, arrogant, flamboyant, gaudy, haughty, pretentious, proud, showy, supercilious, bighearted, caring, considerate, devoted, good, goodhearted, gracious, integrous, kind, loving, mindful, sweet, thoughtful, warmhearted, cruel, depraved, evil, maleficent, vicious, wicked, abrasive, annoying, disconcerting, disquieting, disturbing, irritating, offputting, repulsive, troublesome, unappealing, unnerving, unpleasant, unsettling, vexatious, brazen, cheeky, impertinent, impish, impudent, insolent, mischievous, nervy, playful, whimsical, funny, goofy, silly, contemplative, impassive, introspective, introverted, laconic, reticent, serious, shy, sober, stoic, taciturn, affectionate, extroverted, flirtatious, forward, friendly, sociable, talkative, frisky, hypersexual, lustful, randy, sexual

Sources

Where this information comes from

Wiktionary data was expanded into structured fields by Wiktextract. Matching Princeton WordNet definitions and semantic relationships, plus CMUdict ARPABET pronunciations, are merged into this same canonical word page.

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Changes made: Wiktionary markup was removed and matching senses were grouped; WordNet and CMUdict evidence was merged into the canonical word page. Source quotations with separate cited works are not republished.

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Real reading context

Meaning relationships

Examples

Meaning relationships

behavioral in complete knowledge articles