behavioral

adjective

be·​hav·​ior·​al bi-ˈhā-vyə-rəl 

bē-

1

: of or relating to behavior : pertaining to reactions made in response to social stimuli

behavioral problems

behavioral similarities

Half of all potential guide dogs don't get final clearance because of medical or behavioral issues.

—Cassie Kreitner

2

: relating to or concerned with the social, psychological, and emotional factors that affect financial decisions and behavior

behavioral economics

Behavioral finance … holds that financial man—far from the perfect, mechanical trader depicted in textbooks—is a rather neurotic fellow. He follows the crowd, fails to plan ahead and often makes mistakes.

—Roger Lowenstein

behaviorally

bi-ˈhā-vyə-rə-lē 

bē-

adverb

… gradually came to the conclusion that the wild dogs are physically and behaviorally distinct enough to constitute a uniform breed.

—Christine Mlot

Examples of behavioral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Where The Balance Breaks Most personalization engines operate on long-term identity signals: profile data, behavioral history and implicit inference. —Shiva Chandrashekher, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

What's important to you about making this behavioral change? —Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 30 June 2025

This data helps build a behavioral profile of your tastes, routines, and emotional triggers. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025

For years, behavioral healthcare veteran Joseph Catan watched these issues unfold firsthand. —William Jones, USA Today, 30 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing behavioral

• behavioral modification
• behavioral science
• behavioral therapist
• behavioral therapy
• cognitive behavioral therapy

Rhymes for behavioral

• behavioural
• biobehavioral
• neurobehavioral