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
Cassie Kreitner2
: 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
Roger Lowenstein
behaviorally
bi-ˈhā-vyə-rə-lē
adverb
bē-
… gradually came to the conclusion that the wild dogs are physically and behaviorally distinct enough to constitute a uniform breed.
—Christine Mlot
Christine Mlot
Examples of behavioral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, awareness alone is not enough to drive behavioral change.
—Vincent Gregoire, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Exposure to bad air in utero is associated with a higher risk of autism, and exposure in childhood has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems, including lower IQ.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
The study was also purely behavioral and observational; the scientists propose that the mechanism involves the motor areas and the auditory dorsal pathway, but that remains a theory until brain imaging can support the findings.
—New Atlas, 9 Apr. 2025
This strongly suggests that the sudden total darkness and associated changes in wind and temperature were the primary drivers of the observed behavioral shifts.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behavioral
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Vincent Gregoire, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Exposure to bad air in utero is associated with a higher risk of autism, and exposure in childhood has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems, including lower IQ.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
The study was also purely behavioral and observational; the scientists propose that the mechanism involves the motor areas and the auditory dorsal pathway, but that remains a theory until brain imaging can support the findings.
—New Atlas, 9 Apr. 2025
This strongly suggests that the sudden total darkness and associated changes in wind and temperature were the primary drivers of the observed behavioral shifts.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behavioral
Cite this Entry
“Behavioral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behavioral. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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