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

A simpler way of putting it is that Pelicot has an antisocial personality disorder - a term preferred by psychiatrists these days to words such as psychopath or sociopath.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

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

“Let me explain to you: On 'Veep,' I played a narcissistic, megalomaniac sociopath, and that is not Kamala Harris,” Louis-Dreyfus said of her character, Selina Meyer, on Monday.

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2024

Incidentally, Malcolm also thought that Matthew was a sociopath.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

Related Words

• lunatic