psychopathy

American  

[sahy-kop-uh-thee] / saɪˈkɒp ə θi /

noun

Psychiatry.

• psychopathies
  plural

1. a mental disorder in which an individual manifests amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc.

2. any mental disease.

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psychopathy British  

/ saɪˈkɒpəθɪ /

noun

1. another name for psychopathic personality

2. any mental disorder or disease

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• psychopathies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of psychopathy

First recorded in 1840–50; psycho- + -pathy

Explanation

Someone who suffers from a mental illness that makes them violent without any sense of remorse or empathy has psychopathy. Although it's a common term in criminal justice, psychopathy isn't an official psychiatric diagnosis. If someone has psychopathy, they're referred to as a psychopath. As common as these terms are, a psychiatrist or psychologist won't diagnose someone with psychopathy — a patient with these symptoms will likely get a diagnosis of "antisocial personality disorder." A common test measuring psychopathy is used to study prison populations and for sentencing violent criminals. Psychopathy comes from the Greek roots psykhe, "mind," and pathos, "suffering."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

psychopathy

Dr Asperger is known for his work in child psychiatry and identifying Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, in 1944 - however the term "autistic psychopathy" was used until 1981.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

That pattern raises the possibility that psychopathy may be connected to differences in brain development across childhood and adolescence.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026

By comparing MRI scans with psychopathy assessment results, the researchers found that a larger striatum was linked to a stronger need for stimulation, including thrill-seeking, excitement, and impulsive behavior.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026

“You get people who are verging on psychopathy and you get people who are just troubled.”

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025

Dealing with IBSEN'S Ghosts at the Kingsway Theatre, the critic of a halfpenny morning paper refers to it as a "medley of weird psychopathy and symbolism."

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, May 9, 1917 by Various