psyche

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noun psy·che \ ˈsī-kē \

Definition of psyche

1 capitalized :a princess loved by Cupid

[Greek psychē]

a :soul, personality

the nation's consumer psyche
—D. J. Kevles

b :the totality of elements forming the mind (see ¹mind 2); specifically, in Freudian psychoanalytic theory :the id, ego, and superego including both conscious and unconscious components

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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 of psyche from the Web

Beyond that, the emotional and academic impacts of the natural disaster could plague students’ psyches and school successes for years to come.

— hayley glatter, The Atlantic, "How Schoolchildren Will Cope With Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
This is a fascinating and newly emerging subfield within psychology, which looks at the effects of natural disasters on both our individual and collective psyches.

— simon worrall, National Geographic, "Earthquakes Can Happen in More Places Than You Think," 26 Aug. 2017
Defense attorney Lionel Lon Burns contended that his client's documented history of mental illness -- including two stays in mental hospitals in the previous year -- sufficiently demonstrated Thornton's fragile psyche.

— ken daley, NOLA.com, "Chelsea Thornton found not guilty by reason of insanity in children's deaths," 11 Aug. 2017
Hack into his psyche (and get a second-hand Christian Slater sighting rush) below.

— lenika cruz, Glamour, "6 Inappropriate Questions for Rami Malek," 8 Aug. 2017
Novelists often offer deep insights into the human psyche that take psychologists years to test.

— michael shermer, Scientific American, "Are We All Racists Deep Inside?," 24 July 2017
For Beaty, one small phrase was part of a bigger goal when trying to rebuild his team’s psyche.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "Starting with one phrase, David Beaty continues to rebuild KU football," 17 July 2017
Fate gave Tchaikovsky an extremely fine psyche and incredible sensitivity.

— leilah bernstein, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Ballet About Tchaikovsky Reveals the Composer’s Talent and Torment," 23 June 2017
Harrison is probably the star player here, as Travis’s psyche provides the basis for most of the film’s horror.

— richard lawson, HWD, "It Comes at Night Is a Pretty but Pointless Downer," 6 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'psyche.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of psyche

Latin, from Greek psychē soul

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1590

See Words from the same year

psyche Synonyms

Synonyms

soul, spirit

Related Words

life, vitality; being, essence, quintessence

Near Antonyms

body, flesh

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

PSYCHE Defined for English Language Learners

psyche

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noun

Definition of psyche for English Language Learners

: the soul, mind, or personality of a person or group

Medical Dictionary

psyche

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noun psy·che \ ˈsī-(ˌ)kē \

medical Definition of psyche

: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