Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

head-shrinker

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.36 in modern English

Syllables: head--shrinker
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A psychiatrist or psychotherapist; a shrink.

Slang

noun

One who shrinks heads, as previously done by some Amazon tribes.

Example Sentences

"DIESEL: In the opinion on this court, this child is depraved on account he ain't had a normal home. ACTION: Hey, I'm depraved on account I'm deprived. DIESEL: So take him to a headshrinker."
"I listened to the sculptor of Dead Dad give an interview to a European television station while he crouched by the shrunken corpse of his own creation, a huge technical advance over the headshrinkers of New Guinea."

Etymology

Originally US, probably by reference to slang terms like “swelled head” for someone with delusions of grandeur; a psychiatrist would remove such delusions, thus figuratively shrinking the patient's swelled head.

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

head-shrinkers (plural) headshrinker (alternative)

Synonyms

headshrink shrink trick cyclist headhunter psychiatrist

Questions

What does head-shrinker mean?: A psychiatrist or psychotherapist; a shrink.
Where does head-shrinker come from?: Originally US, probably by reference to slang terms like “swelled head” for someone with delusions of grandeur; a psychiatrist would remove such delusions, thus figuratively shrinking the patient's swelled head.

How to pronounce head-shrinker

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “head-shrinker”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “head-shrinker”.
Repeat and practice — Say “head-shrinker” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.