psyche

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

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

• soul
• spirit

Examples of psyche in a Sentence

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

Essentially, her psyche is trapped inside the villain's memories, while her body remains back in Hawkins in a coma. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025

My trusty spreadsheet’s review of the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index for California found that shopper psyche plunged 16% in November from October. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025

Of course, Solomonik is far from the first person to explore the inherent absurdity of trans life by exaggerating that absurdity, but so rarely is the transmasc psyche in all of its neuroses explored in such a way. —Ana Osorno, Them., 21 Nov. 2025

With his sixth feature, two decades of digging into the human and artistic psyche have yielded Trier’s most accessible film, which tracks generational trauma within an Oslo show business family. —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek psychē soul

First Known Use

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