sociopath
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sociopath
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Explanation
A sociopath is a person with a mental illness that manifests in extremely antisocial behavior and the inability to distinguish right from wrong. You're probably right to be afraid of a sociopath. Pathology means illness, and so socio- pathology means social illness. If someone is a sociopath, that means that they have a social sickness––they lack the ability to be social. Many movies and TV crime shows feature plots involving sociopaths, but hopefully the TV is the only place you ever encounter sociopaths.
Vocabulary lists containing sociopath
Common Senses: Path ("Feeling")
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Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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We the People: Soc
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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.
Page consults Martha Stout’s book “The Sociopath Next Door” to understand the character’s lack of empathy and remorse.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026
Thomas Is a Sociopath And so am I. By Patrick BatemanPosted Friday, June 7, 2013, at 11:20 AM Editor’s note: A Slate columnist awoke this morning to discover an envelope slipped under his apartment door.
From Slate • Jun. 7, 2013
Read The Sociopath Next Door by psychologist Martha Stout and see if it resonates with what you observe of your brother now.
From Slate • May 2, 2013
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.
