psyche

1 of 2

noun

psy·​che ˈsī-kē 

1

Psyche : a princess loved by Cupid

2

[Greek psychē]

a

: soul, personality

… the nation's consumer psyche.

—D. J. Kevles

b

: the totality of elements forming the mind (see mind entry 1 sense 2)

specifically, in Freudian psychoanalytic theory : the id, ego, and superego including both conscious and unconscious components

psyche

2 of 2

verb

less common spelling of psych entry 1

transitive verb

1

: psychoanalyze

2

a

: to anticipate correctly the intentions or actions of : outguess

b

: to analyze or figure out (something, such as a problem or course of action)

… I psyched it all out by myself and decided …

—David Hulburd

3

a

: to make psychologically uneasy : intimidate, scare

… pressure doesn't psych me …

—Jerry Quarry

—often used with out

has a way of psyching out the competition

b

: to make (someone, such as oneself) psychologically ready especially for performance

—often used with up

psyched herself up for the race

Did you know?

Sometime back in the 16th century, we borrowed the word psyche directly from Greek into English. In Greek mythology, Psyche was a beautiful princess who fell in love with Eros (Cupid), god of love, and went through terrible trials before being allowed to marry him. The story is often understood to be about the soul redeeming itself through love. (To the Greeks, psyche also meant "butterfly", which suggests how they imagined the soul.) In English, psyche often sounds less spiritual than soul, less intellectual than mind, and more private than personality.

Synonyms of psyche

Noun

• soul
• spirit

Examples of psyche in a Sentence

Noun

some hidden corner within your psyche

disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But coming just four months after the October 7th Hamas attack, tensions were high, misinformation was rife, and Israel’s decades-long conflation of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism had burrowed deep into the Western psyche. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

The National Football League has been a Big Honking Deal for as long as anyone reading this has been alive, but its hegemonic stranglehold over the American psyche is very much a 21st century phenomenon. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026

The Cage felt like a useful spot to work out any resentments lingering in your psyche, all the old grievances dissipating with the clang of aluminum on cowhide. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Elena Chertovskikh | Istock Editorial | Getty Images Even if vacationers continue shelling out, higher costs for a discretionary experience like travel could weigh on their psyche, according to Brian LeBlanc, PNC’s senior economist. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin, from Greek psychē soul

First Known Use

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for psyche

• nike
• spiky

Kids Definition

psyche

noun

psy·​che ˈsī-kē 

1

: soul entry 1 sense 2, self

2

: mind entry 1 sense 2

Medical Definition

psyche

noun

psy·​che ˈsī-(ˌ)kē 

: the specialized cognitive, conative, and affective aspects of a psychosomatic unity : mind

specifically : the totality of the id, ego, and superego including both conscious and unconscious components