psychotic

[sahy-kot-ik]

adjective

1. Psychiatry.,  relating to, characterized by, or exhibiting psychosis: psychotic symptoms;

   a psychotic patient;

   psychotic symptoms;

   psychotic delusion.

   Synonyms: non compos mentis, demented, deranged, disturbed, mad, mentally ill, psychopathic, insane
   Antonyms: lucid, rational, compos mentis, sane

2. (loosely) mentally unstable.

   The man who threw a stone through the convenience store window must be psychotic.

   Synonyms: potty, screwy, batty, daft, cuckoo, kooky, bonkers, nuts, nutty, crazy, loony

3. intensely upset, anxious, or angry; crazy.

   My dad gets so psychotic when I come home even a little bit late.

   Synonyms: pissed off, livid, incensed, irate, wrathful, furious, crazed
   Antonyms: self-possessed, calm

noun

1. Psychiatry.,  a person afflicted with psychosis.

   Synonyms: maniac, madman, psychopath

2. (loosely) someone who is mentally unstable.

   Her partner is a psychotic who often uses abusive language.

   Synonyms: kook, nutjob, nut, loon, loony

1. someone who exhibits extreme emotion or behavior.

   My brother turns into a complete psychotic whenever his team loses.

   Synonyms: psycho, maniac

psychotic

/ saɪˈkɒtɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by psychosis

noun

1. a person experiencing psychosis

Usage

It is preferable to talk about a person experiencing psychosis rather than a psychotic , which reduces a person's individuality

Other Word Forms

• psychotically adverb
• nonpsychotic adjective
• semipsychotic adjective
• unpsychotic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychotic¹

First recorded in 1885–85; psych(osis) + -otic

Example Sentences

Alice’s thoughts spin out of control; she grows paranoid and reckless; soon she is in the grip of a complete psychotic breakdown and has to be institutionalized.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Interesting, emotional, deep, but the depth of feeling is just psychotic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Because psychotic disorders usually do not appear before adolescence and dementia tends to develop later in life, he believes early interventions are becoming increasingly achievable.

Read more on Science Daily

In its story about Han's comments, Rolling Stone said the abuse had been "incredibly unhinged", with fan battles becoming "more intense, insane, and borderline psychotic with each weekly episode release".

Read more on BBC

“We’ve accepted it; that is so psychotic … Can you imagine buying a book, and on the book is how many people have read it?”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• demented 
• insane 
• mad 
• unhinged