psychically
C1Pronunciation
UK
- /sˈaɪkɪkli/
US
- /sˈaɪkɪkli/
Description
- By ESP or a sixth sense
- in a paranormal way
- by mental connection
- telepathically
To do or sense something psychically means to do it in a way that seems to go beyond the normal five senses. The word is usually linked to paranormal ideas such as telepathy, clairvoyance, or a strong sixth sense. It often describes getting information, feeling a presence, or understanding something without seeing, hearing, or being told it in any ordinary way.
You might say someone is psychically gifted if they seem to know things without being told, or that two people are psychically linked if they somehow share thoughts or feelings. In a story, if a character senses danger with no clear sign of it, they may be sensing it psychically. The idea is that the knowledge comes through an unusual inner sense, not through normal physical evidence.
The word "psychically" usually describes doing, sensing, or knowing something through a supposed mental or spiritual power rather than through the normal senses. Most often, it appears in discussions of ESP, telepathy, clairvoyance, or other paranormal abilities. If someone learns a fact, feels a warning, or connects with another person's thoughts psychically, the idea is that the knowledge comes through a hidden inner channel instead of through sight, hearing, touch, or ordinary reasoning.
"Psychically" is not limited to fortune-telling, even though people often connect it with that idea. It can also describe a mental or emotional link that feels strange or supernatural. For example, a person might say they felt psychically attacked, psychically drained, or psychically connected to someone else. In such cases, the word suggests an unseen force affecting the mind or spirit. Writers also use it when characters sense danger, hear thoughts, or communicate silently across distance.
The word often carries a spiritual or supernatural tone, so it is common in fiction, horror, fantasy, and conversations about paranormal belief. Some people use it seriously, while others use it more loosely to describe very strong intuition or an eerie sense of connection. In both cases, the central idea stays the same: something is understood or experienced psychically when it seems to happen beyond normal physical senses or ordinary explanation.
Examples
- 1
Supernatural claim
She claimed that she could communicate with the dead psychically.
- 2
Story connection
In the story, the two sisters are psychically linked, so each one feels the other's fear.
Phrase
psychically linked
connected in a way beyond normal physical contact
- 3
Emotional harm
Even after he recovered physically, he still felt psychically damaged by the experience.
Pattern
physically ... psychically
in the body ... in the mind or emotions
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- psychicallyadverb