behavioral

[ bih-heyv-yer-uhl ]

adjective

1. relating to a person’s manner of behaving or acting:

   The program provides academic and behavioral supports for students of concern.

   Most of our biggest health risks are largely preventable with behavioral change.

2. Psychology, Animal Behavior. relating to or studying observable activity in a human or animal, often thought of as the aggregate of responses to external and internal stimuli:

   This psychiatry textbook offers a thorough discussion of both the behavioral sciences and clinical psychiatry.

   Harassment of wild marine mammals has disrupted their behavioral patterns, including migration, breeding, and feeding.

Other Words From

• be·hav·ior·al·ly be·hav·iour·al·ly adverb
• in·ter·be·hav·ior·al in·ter·be·hav·iour·al adjective
• in·ter·be·hav·ior·al·ly in·ter·be·hav·iour·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of behavioral¹

First recorded in 1925–30; behavior ( def ) + -al ¹( def )

Example Sentences

There is the chance that better forecasts and seemingly more favorable conditions could spur riskier behavior on the mountain, according to Matthews.

From Outside Online

Yet despite the chameleon-like ability of culture to transform behavior, the raw possibility and constraints of human nature, physical and behavioral, are written into our genomes.

From Washington Post

Under the bill, physical restraints could not be included as an option in written behavior and education plans for students with disabilities.

From ProPublica

Illustrated with vibrant art by Krystal Quiles, the new exhibition looks at how a girl’s behavior, long before she is of voting age, can have political power.

From Washington Post

The case comes at a time when multiple universities are being confronted by claims that they long overlooked damaging behavior by employees and, in some cases, paying out massive settlements.

From Washington Post

And because millions of us are so keen to do just that, our behavioral habits are changing.

From The Daily Beast

Later, cognitive and behavioral problems can occur; dementia is not uncommon.

From The Daily Beast

I ask about school performance and behavioral concerns, which can sometimes be dicey.

From The Daily Beast

Many people time their medication usage or implement behavioral changes as soon as they experience their specific aura.

From The Daily Beast

How do structural brain changes correlate with emotional and behavioral symptoms?

From The Daily Beast

Some human activities and the activities and behavioral patterns of humpback whales may be mutually exclusive.

From Project Gutenberg

Control is necessary to force behavioral change in adversaries to achieve strategic or political ends.

From Project Gutenberg

There may be behavioral differences between ferox and spinifer and muticus.

From Project Gutenberg

These are all behavioral adaptations that seem in harmony with its mode of life.

From Project Gutenberg

These size differences are almost certainly correlated with behavioral and ecological differences among the snakes involved.

From Project Gutenberg