Rorschach test

noun

variants or less commonly Rorschach or Rorschach inkblot test

: a projective psychological test that uses a subject's interpretation of 10 standard black or colored inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies

Examples of Rorschach test in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Simone’s attitude toward Judaism became a Rorschach test for scholars and critics to project their own feelings onto my aunt and her family. —The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Graham never expressly defines founder mode in his essay, and in the more than 72 hours of intense—and occasionally bizarre—online discourse that followed Graham’s essay, the topic seemed to take on a Rorschach test quality as people projected their own ideals onto Graham’s inkblot. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2024

Photograph courtesy the author My first reaction is to try to discern beings in the shapes of the objects, as if in a Rorschach test whose inkblots have been replaced by pieces of clothing and lingerie. —Annie Ernaux, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024

There are bird cages to be lined and windows to be cleaned; political litmus tests to be administered and Rorschach test results that need to be hidden. —Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 21 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Hermann Rorschach †1922 Swiss psychiatrist

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Rorschach test

noun

Ror·​schach test

ˈrȯ(ə)r-ˌshäk-

: a psychological test in which a person is asked to tell what he or she sees in and thinks about ink blots of varying designs and colors and which is used to measure certain traits of personality

Medical Definition

Rorschach test

noun

: a projective psychological test that uses a subject's interpretation of 10 standard black or colored inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies

called also Rorschach, Rorschach inkblot test