psychopath

noun

psy·cho·path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath

ˈsī-kō-

Synonyms of psychopath next

: 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

Example Sentences

declared that he was a dangerous psychopath

Recent Examples on the Web Starr’s portrayal of Homelander is one for the record books, repeatedly raising the terrifying question of what might happen if Superman were an amoral psychopath masquerading as a hero in Amazon’s dark superhero satire. —

Dan Heching, CNN, 30 Dec. 2022 To defeat his enemies, D must give into the psychopath he’s been trying to quell with drugs and therapy. —

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Nov. 2021 Also Russians: The supremely evil David Robey (Andy Serkis), psychopath extraordinaire, uses the surveillance provided him by an Eastern European computer nest to monitor activity on the devices and use it to blackmail everyday Brits into doing his bidding. —

John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2023 Mike Horvath in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan and portray cops, crooks and psychopaths with the best of them, died Friday. —

Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Mar. 2023 The psychopath in question is a disgruntled client kicked off one of the bike tours led by the writer, Caitlin Giddings. —

Longreads, 29 Dec. 2022 Your Psychopathic Boss Organizations with a psychopath at the helm can suffer. —

Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 7 May 2021 In this action thriller directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Curtis stars as rookie cop Megan Turner, who engages in a game of cat and mouse with a deranged psychopath. —

Robert English, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2023 The hero and the … psychopath? —

Frank T. Mcandrew, The Conversation, 12 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'psychopath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of psychopath was in 1885

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Psychopath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychopath. Accessed 6 Jun. 2023.

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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

: 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