psychedelic

[ sahy-ki-del-ik ]

adjective

1. of or noting a mental state characterized by a profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion and hallucinations and by extreme feelings of either euphoria or despair:

   LSD users seek the psychedelic properties of the drug, including heightened sensory experiences.

2. of, relating to, or noting any of various drugs producing this state, such as LSD, mescaline, or psilocybin:

   Researchers have long been interested in the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs for humans.

3. characterized by images, sounds, or feelings resembling those experienced while in the altered state produced by psychedelic drugs: The psychedelic designs of music posters in the 60s were inspired by the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800s.

   Their music had a dreamy psychedelic sound, with gentle guitars and hushed vocals.

   The psychedelic designs of music posters in the 60s were inspired by the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800s.

noun

1. a psychedelic drug:

   The clinic will start treating patients with ketamine, a psychedelic.

2. Rare. a person who uses such a substance.

psychedelic

/ ˌsaɪkɪˈdɛlɪk /

adjective

1. relating to or denoting new or altered perceptions or sensory experiences, as through the use of hallucinogenic drugs
2. denoting any of the drugs, esp LSD, that produce these effects
3. informal.
   (of painting, fabric design, etc) having the vivid colours and complex patterns popularly associated with the visual effects of psychedelic states

psychedelic

1. A descriptive term for things that produce or are related to hallucinations , especially drugs such as LSD .

Notes

Psychedelic art, most popular during the late 1960s and early 1970s, combines patterns, objects, light, and sound to simulate hallucinatory experiences.

Derived Forms

• ˌpsycheˈdelically, adverb

Other Words From

• psy·che·del·i·cal·ly adverb
• pre·psych·e·del·ic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychedelic¹

First recorded in 1956; from psyche + Greek dêl(os) “visible, manifest, evident” + -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychedelic¹

C20: from psyche + Greek delos visible

Example Sentences

Babygirl, an erotic drama about an age-gap affair, I'm Still Here, about the disappearance of a Brazilian congressman, and the psychedelic 1950s romance Queer could also squeak in.

From BBC

One such instance happened with a psychedelic drug scene that was minimally described on the page, but Guadagnino turned it into an experiential sequence.

From Los Angeles Times

Department of Health and Human Services — some are hopeful that the GOP can exercise its governing power to revive a psychedelic movement that has shown signs of losing steam.

From Salon

Ketamine, an anesthetic administered through infusions that can have psychedelic properties, has been hailed as a life-saving treatment for some patients.

From Salon

Yet one of his best-regarded productions was the Kinks’ 1967 “Waterloo Sunset,” a gently psychedelic pop song about a guy watching two lovers cross a bridge over the River Thames.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hallucinatory
• kaleidoscopic
• multicolored