psychotic
adjective
psy·chot·ic
sī-ˈkä-tik 
1
medical
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis
a psychotic patient
psychotic behavior
2
sometimes offensive
: exhibiting or suggestive of mental or emotional unsoundness or instability
—not used technically
Note: The nontechnical use of psychotic is increasingly viewed as a trivialization of mental illness.
psychotic
noun
plural psychotics
Examples of psychotic in a Sentence
He was diagnosed as psychotic.
a psychotic patient who was recently admitted
Recent Examples on the Web
Brown's attorneys had said Brown could at times appear psychotic.
—
Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025
Psychologists and psychiatrists are scrambling to better understand how use of chatbots can fuel delusions and drive psychotic episodes.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
But fan battles about the love triangle at the heart of the plot have only become more intense, insane, and borderline psychotic with each weekly episode release.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
But at the same time, the underlying concerns that animate AI doomers have become harder to dismiss as chatbots seem to drive people into psychotic episodes and instruct users in self-mutilation.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for psychotic
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Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025
Psychologists and psychiatrists are scrambling to better understand how use of chatbots can fuel delusions and drive psychotic episodes.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
But fan battles about the love triangle at the heart of the plot have only become more intense, insane, and borderline psychotic with each weekly episode release.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
But at the same time, the underlying concerns that animate AI doomers have become harder to dismiss as chatbots seem to drive people into psychotic episodes and instruct users in self-mutilation.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for psychotic
Cite this Entry
“Psychotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychotic. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
psychotic
1 of 2 adjective
psy·chot·ic
sī-ˈkät-ik
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis
psychotic
2 of 2 noun
: a psychotic individual
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