psychic

American  

[sahy-kik] / ˈsaɪ kɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the human soul or mind; mental.

2. Psychology. pertaining to or noting mental phenomena.

3. outside of natural or scientific knowledge; spiritual.

4. of or relating to some apparently nonphysical force or agency.

   psychic research;

   psychic phenomena.

5. sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature.

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noun

1. a person who is allegedly sensitive to psychic influences or forces; medium.

psychic British  

/ ˈsaɪkɪk /

adjective

1. 1. outside the possibilities defined by natural laws, as mental telepathy

   2. (of a person) sensitive to forces not recognized by natural laws

2. mental as opposed to physical; psychogenic

3. bridge (of a bid) based on less strength than would normally be required to make the bid

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noun

1. a person who is sensitive to parapsychological forces or influences

Other Word Forms

• interpsychic adjective
• nonpsychic adjective
• nonpsychical adjective
• psychical adjective
• psychically adverb
• unpsychic adjective

Etymology

Origin of psychic

First recorded in 1855–60; from Greek psȳchikós “of the soul”; see Psyche, -ic

Explanation

A psychic reads minds and predicts the future. If you were a psychic, you wouldn't have bothered reading this because you would have known what I was going to say. Psychic can also describe something that has to do with your mind more than your body. You weren't physically harmed when your favorite team lost the championship game, but the psychic pain was considerable. Psychic comes from a Greek word meaning “breath” and “soul”: psychic matters are often felt but not seen.

Example Sentences

They consulted a psychic, who said that Cynthia’s body would be found near water.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

She told BBC Scotland News it was a bar she would not usually go to, but they had gone to see a psychic show.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

We’ll have robot cars, robocops, terminators and a fully functioning Skynet that grades social status from Instagram likes—unless we’re all entombed Matrix-like in pods wearing Neurolinks to capture our psychic energy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Cake, it turns out, carries a lot of psychic weight.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2026

Now I’m walking with a psychic to the house of a boy I don’t know so I can find out if he’s missing or not.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• mental
• metaphysical
• psychological
• spiritual
• supernatural