psychosis

noun

psy·​cho·​sis sī-ˈkō-səs 

plural psychoses sī-ˈkō-ˌsēz 

: a serious mental illness (such as schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality often with hallucinations or delusions

Examples of psychosis in a Sentence

The patient suffers from some kind of psychosis.

Recent Examples on the Web

This stylish novel, full of sentence-level pyrotechnics and mad dashes through the Mojave, traces a new mother’s descent into what’s either rebirth or psychosis. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026

Julia’s psychosis starts to shatter, overcome by cardboard shipping boxes and torturous insomnia. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026

Attached to it is a video of Andrea Yates, the real Texas woman who drowned her five children amid an episode of postpartum psychosis and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, per the New York Times. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026

Still, a key question is whether regular exercise can serve as a meaningful early intervention for people at clinical high risk for psychosis. —Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for psychosis

• cirrhosis
• fibrosis
• gliosis
• hypnosis
• ichthyosis
• ketosis
• kurtosis
• lordosis
• meiosis
• miosis
• mitosis
• mycosis

Kids Definition

psychosis

noun

psy·​cho·​sis sī-ˈkō-səs 

plural psychoses -ˈkō-ˌsēz 

: a serious mental illness marked by loss of or greatly lessened ability to test whether what one is thinking and feeling about the real world is really true

Medical Definition

psychosis

noun

psy·​cho·​sis sī-ˈkō-səs 

plural psychoses -ˌsēz 

: a serious mental illness (as schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality often with hallucinations or delusions