sociopath

American  

[soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee-] / ˈsoʊ si əˌpæθ, ˈsoʊ ʃi- /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

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sociopath British  

/ ˌsəʊsɪˈɒpəθɪ, ˈsəʊsɪəˌpæθ /

noun

1. psychiatry another name for psychopath

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sociopath Cultural  

1. Someone whose social behavior is extremely abnormal. Sociopaths are interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others. (Compare psychopath.)

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Other Word Forms

• sociopathic adjective
• sociopathy noun

Etymology

Origin of sociopath

First recorded in 1940–45; socio- + -path

Compare meaning

How does sociopath compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sociopath vs. psychopath

Example Sentences

The actor could easily put his skills to use playing a duplicitous sociopath in a psychological drama, but as a comedy “Killing” is simply dead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

"All but one of the characters is a sociopath, so the movie works on almost no levels. I love to put it on and yell at it."

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2025

It is, unfortunately, the heyday of the harmful sociopath and the abusive clinical narcissist.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2025

They can recognize that they are being lied to, even being manipulated, but still they believe that somewhere inside the sociopath there is a human being like they are, perhaps a hurting soul gone astray.

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2024

Incidentally, Malcolm also thought that Matthew was a sociopath.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

Related Words

• lunatic