psychotic
Americanadjective
-
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
-
(loosely) mentally unstable.
The man who threw a stone through the convenience store window must be psychotic.
-
intensely upset, anxious, or angry; crazy.
My dad gets so psychotic when I come home even a little bit late.
- Antonyms:
- self-possessed, calm
noun
adjective
noun
Usage
It is preferable to talk about a person experiencing psychosis rather than a psychotic , which reduces a person's individuality
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of psychotic
First recorded in 1885–85; psych(osis) + -otic
Explanation
As an adjective, psychotic describes something that is of or related to an abnormal mental condition often characterized by delusions or hallucinations. Psychotic episodes, for example, are periods of mental instability when people lose contact with reality. Psychotic is based on the Greek word psykhe, which means mind. As a noun, psychotic is a person suffering from psychosis — that is delusions, hallucinations, or any mental state that includes a loss of reality. Although the noun officially refers to the medical diagnosis, it is sometimes used as a slang to refer to anyone behaving in an erratic manner: "Your friend is a total psychotic! He was jumping on the tables at lunch and shouting song lyrics."
Vocabulary lists containing psychotic
Body Language: Psych ("Mind")
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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.
Crucially at the time I was not able to elicit acute psychotic symptoms.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
In “Normal,” I am a tough, psychotic local bartender.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
"People suffer psychotic behaviour, suffer bipolar behaviour, for many, many years... And I think people are forgetting that."
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
“I was 20 or 21 then. I’d had a psychotic episode and was taken to a public hospital in Massachusetts,” says Palm Springs-based artist Lisa McCord of the self-portrait she later staged.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026
Addison walked on all fours with his snub nose in \ y\\j the air while the man-thing called Grunt scampered around us like a psychotic puppy.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
