psycho

[ sahy-koh ]

/ ˈsaɪ koʊ /

Slang.

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: psycho / psychos on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural psy·chos.

a psychopathic or psychotic person.

a crazy or mentally unstable person.

adjective

psychopathic or psychotic.

crazy; mentally unstable.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of psycho

First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening

Words nearby psycho

psychic energizer, psychic energy, psychic income, psychic research, psychic trauma, psycho, psychoacoustics, psychoactive, psychoanal., psychoanalyse, psychoanalysis

Other definitions for psycho (2 of 2)

psycho-

a combining form representing psyche (psychological) and psychological (psychoanalysis) in compound words.

Also especially before a vowel, psych-.

Origin of psycho-

<Greek, combining form of psȳchḗ breath, spirit, soul, mind; akin to psȳ́chein to blow (see psykter)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use psycho in a sentence

The new year’s first blockbuster novel is “The Push,” by Ashley Audrain, a psychological suspense tale about a mother’s fears that her pre-school-age daughter may be a psycho killer.
Why is ‘The Push’ so popular? Perhaps because it plays into a mother’s worst fears.|Maureen Corrigan|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
When, in succession, he made Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Psycho a psychiatrist (the young Simon Oakland) tells us in clinical terms what we've seen.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To bolster my case I told him we should actually call it Pursuito, like Vertigo or Psycho.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He is the author of Broken Glass, Memoirs of a Porcupine, and African Psycho, among others.
Living Black & Gay in the ’50s|Alain Mabanckou|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because there was plenty more psycho and much more drama on the way.
Hell Hath No Fury Like Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Ex|Lizzie Crocker|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But there is a wide gulf between that and concluding that all psycho-biological phenomena are hallucinations.
Urania|Camille Flammarion
That caution about 'heightened psycho-physiological effects,' that we were never able to understand!
Hunter Patrol|Henry Beam Piper and John J. McGuire
We want to work out a substitute for Beta that will keep the flavor of the drink without the psycho-physiological effects.
Hunter Patrol|Henry Beam Piper and John J. McGuire
When Dr. Martin first introduced him into the psycho-recovery room his resolution almost vanished.
The Memory of Mars|Raymond F. Jones
If we are to do our work properly, we must base it completely upon modern psycho physical fundamentals.
Criminal Psychology|Hans Gross

British Dictionary definitions for psycho (1 of 2)

psycho

/ (ˈsaɪkəʊ) /

noun, adjective plural -chos

an informal and offensive word for psychopath or psychopathicSee psychopath

British Dictionary definitions for psycho (2 of 2)

psycho-

sometimes before a vowel psych-

combining form

indicating the mind or psychological or mental processespsychology; psychogenesis; psychosomatic

Word Origin for psycho-

from Greek psukhē spirit, breath

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for psycho (1 of 2)

psycho

[ sī′kō ]

A psychopath.

adj.

Crazy; insane.

Medical definitions for psycho (2 of 2)

psycho-

pref.

Mind; mental:psychogenic.

Mental activities or processes:psychomotor.

Psychology; psychological:psychosocial.

psycho

Origin of psycho

Words nearby psycho

Other definitions for psycho (2 of 2)

Origin of psycho-

Words related to psycho

How to use psycho in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for psycho (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for psycho (2 of 2)

sometimes before a vowel psych-

Word Origin for psycho-

Medical definitions for psycho (1 of 2)

Medical definitions for psycho (2 of 2)