psycho

[ sahy-koh ]

/ ˈsaɪ koʊ /

Slang.

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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.

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Origin of psycho

First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening

Words nearby psycho

psychic distance, psychic energizer, psychic energy, psychic income, psychic research, 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. 2023

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

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-