psychopathic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of psychopathic
First recorded in 1840–50; psychopath(y) + -ic
Explanation
Psychopathic is a very strong word — it means mentally ill or insane and probably dangerous. Psychopathic isn't a word anyone should take lightly. It refers to an undiagnosed mental disorder. Murderers and other dangerous people are often psychopathic. If you watch a TV show that features a character who is dangerous or even deadly, he might be psychopathic. This is a medical word, unlike "crazy," which can mean dozens of things. If you know that someone is psychopathic, stay away: that person is mentally ill and could hurt you.
Vocabulary lists containing psychopathic
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: psych
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The Martian Chronicles
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Psychopathic traits exist in everyone to some degree and shouldn’t be glorified or stigmatized, she says.
From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2023
Psychopathic people often find it difficult to perceive, understand, or address emotions due to a lack of emotional intelligence and empathy.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2022
Psychopathic attributes were identified by the Emory team as superficial charm, egocentricity, dishonesty, callousness, risk-taking, poor impulse control and fearlessness.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2019
Psychopathic traits are not reserved for prisons or psychiatric hospitals; all of us lie somewhere on the “psychopathic spectrum”.
From The Guardian • Jun. 10, 2016
The method was first tried with human subjects in the Psychopathic Hospital, Boston, with a crude keyboard apparatus which, however, proved wholly satisfactory as a means of demonstrating its value.
From The Mental Life of Monkeys and Apes A Study of Ideational Behavior by Yerkes, Robert M.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
