adjective

somatic

soh-MAT-ik

Somatic (adjective) means relating to the body rather than the mind, especially in medicine and psychology. Example: “Anxiety often produces somatic symptoms such as nausea and a racing heart.”

adjective

Relating to the body rather than the mind, especially in medicine and psychology.

"Anxiety often produces somatic symptoms such as nausea and a racing heart."

"She practises somatic therapy, working with physical sensation rather than talk alone."

In biology, relating to the ordinary cells of the body as distinct from the reproductive cells.

"A somatic mutation affects only the individual and is not passed to their children."

Relating to the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary movement and carries sensation from the skin and muscles.

"The somatic nervous system moves your hand away from the heat."

How to Use Somatic

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo do with the body.

When to use it

Technical, used in medicine, biology and therapy.

Easily confused with

psychosomatic → somatic vs visceral psychic →

Common pairings

somatic symptoms somatic cell somatic nervous system somatic experiencing

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Anxiety often produces _____ symptoms such as nausea and a racing heart.

Etymology

From Greek 'somatikos', from 'soma' meaning 'body'.

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

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bodily physical corporeal

Antonyms

psychic mental germline

Related Words

material physical mental substantial insane intellectual physically psychological

Rhymes for somatic

static aquatic fanatic hepatic erratic lunatic aromatic ecstatic operatic dramatic climatic emphatic

See all rhymes for somatic →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is somatic therapy?

A form of therapy that treats distress through the body, using breath, movement and attention to physical sensation alongside or instead of conversation. It rests on the idea that stress and trauma are held physically as well as remembered mentally.

What is the difference between somatic and psychosomatic?

Somatic simply means bodily. Psychosomatic means a physical symptom that is produced or worsened by mental processes. A psychosomatic symptom is real and physically felt; the word describes its cause, not its authenticity.

What is the difference between somatic and germline cells?

Somatic cells make up the rest of the body: skin, muscle, liver and so on. Germline cells become eggs and sperm. Changes to somatic cells stop with the individual, while germline changes can be inherited.

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