psychopath

noun

psy·​cho·​path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath 

ˈsī-kō-

: a mentally unstable person

especially : a person having an egocentric and antisocial personality marked by a lack of remorse for one's actions, an absence of empathy for others, and often criminal tendencies

Synonyms

• bug
• crackbrain
• crazy
• fool
• fruitcake
• head case
• loon
• loony
• lunatic
• maniac
• nut
• nutcase
• nutter [British slang]
• psycho
• sickie
• sicko
• wacko
• whacko

Examples of psychopath in a Sentence

declared that he was a dangerous psychopath

Recent Examples on the Web

But that doesn’t mean the Reich must always be represented by one or two conniving, mid-level psychopath characters, plus dozens of faceless foot soldiers. —TIME, 8 May 2024

When a therapist screens her using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, her score is higher than average but not high enough to qualify her as a psychopath. —Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

psychopath

noun

psy·​cho·​path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath 

: a mentally ill or unstable person

especially : one who does not feel guilty about not living up to normal social and moral responsibilities and exhibits a disregard for the feelings and safety of others

Medical Definition

psychopath

noun

psy·​cho·​path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath 

1

: a person having an egocentric and antisocial personality marked by a lack of remorse for one's actions, an absence of empathy for others, and often criminal tendencies

2

formerly : a person with antisocial personality disorder