psychotic
Americanadjective
-
Psychiatry. relating to, characterized by, or exhibiting psychosis: psychotic symptoms;
a psychotic patient;
psychotic symptoms;
psychotic delusion.
- Synonyms:
- non compos mentis, demented, deranged, disturbed, mad, mentally ill, psychopathic, insane
- Antonyms:
- lucid, rational, compos mentis, sane
-
(loosely) mentally unstable.
The man who threw a stone through the convenience store window must be psychotic.
-
intensely upset, anxious, or angry; crazy.
My dad gets so psychotic when I come home even a little bit late.
- Antonyms:
- self-possessed, calm
noun
adjective
noun
Usage
It is preferable to talk about a person experiencing psychosis rather than a psychotic , which reduces a person's individuality
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of psychotic
First recorded in 1885–85; psych(osis) + -otic
Explanation
As an adjective, psychotic describes something that is of or related to an abnormal mental condition often characterized by delusions or hallucinations. Psychotic episodes, for example, are periods of mental instability when people lose contact with reality. Psychotic is based on the Greek word psykhe, which means mind. As a noun, psychotic is a person suffering from psychosis — that is delusions, hallucinations, or any mental state that includes a loss of reality. Although the noun officially refers to the medical diagnosis, it is sometimes used as a slang to refer to anyone behaving in an erratic manner: "Your friend is a total psychotic! He was jumping on the tables at lunch and shouting song lyrics."
Vocabulary lists containing psychotic
Body Language: Psych ("Mind")
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for December 26, 2020—January 1, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Tuesday, a psychological expert testified that the defendant displayed no evidence of a psychotic disorder, that he was intelligent, "controls what he says" and shows "few emotions".
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
In 1925, Routledge suffered a psychotic crisis from which she never recovered.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Ian Cumming - called by the defence to give evidence - told the court he was "confident" Skebas was psychotic.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
That so many people in Minneapolis have endangered themselves by waving phones in the faces of armed federal officers and shouting obscenities as if they were psychotic is one of many unhappy consequences.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
While in the Russell County jail, he became acutely psychotic.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
