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psychosis

noun
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psy·​cho·​sis | \ sī-ˈkō-səs How to pronounce psychosis (audio) \
plural psychoses\ sī-​ˈkō-​ˌsēz How to pronounce psychosis (audio) \

Definition of psychosis

: 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 Doctors said Hambrick suffers from psychosis and delusional beliefs. — Matt Sledge, NOLA.com, "In toddler's killing, New Orleans DA won't seek death penalty for Bywater man," 13 Jan. 2021 In the year since the coronavirus began spreading across the globe, doctors have noted lingering post-recovery conditions ranging from brain fog and forgetfulness to anxiety, depression, and psychosis. — Washington Post, "Large-scale global study to investigate links between covid-19 and cognitive decline," 5 Jan. 2021 How long the psychosis lasted and patients’ response to treatment has varied. — New York Times, "Small Number of Covid Patients Develop Severe Psychotic Symptoms," 28 Dec. 2020 Researchers around the world have been compiling documentation of COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms ranging from psychosis to memory loss, according to an article published in the journal Nature in September. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "“I’ve lost who I am”: An Anchorage teacher’s coronavirus infection affected her brain. Now she’s having to relearn basic living.," 27 Dec. 2020 Hinckley was suffering from acute psychosis and was obsessed with the actress Jodie Foster. — NBC News, "Judge allows John Hinckley to publicly display his artwork," 29 Oct. 2020 But a study of young adults did find that UFO belief is associated with schizotypal personality, a tendency toward social anxiety, paranoid ideas and transient psychosis. — Chris Impey, The Conversation, "I’m an astronomer and I think aliens may be out there – but UFO sightings aren’t persuasive," 4 Dec. 2020 Hinckley was suffering from acute psychosis and was obsessed with the actress Jodie Foster. — NBC News, "Judge allows John Hinckley to publicly display his artwork," 29 Oct. 2020 Hinckley was suffering from acute psychosis and was obsessed with the actress Jodie Foster. — NBC News, "Judge allows John Hinckley to publicly display his artwork," 29 Oct. 2020

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

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First Known Use of psychosis

1847, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for psychosis

New Latin

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Time Traveler for psychosis

Time Traveler

The first known use of psychosis was in 1847

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Statistics for psychosis

Last Updated

24 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Psychosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychosis. Accessed 26 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for psychosis

psychosis

noun
How to pronounce psychosis (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of psychosis

: a very serious mental illness that makes you behave strangely or believe things that are not true

See the full definition for psychosis in the English Language Learners Dictionary

psychosis

noun
psy·​cho·​sis | \ sī-ˈkō-səs How to pronounce psychosis (audio) \
plural psychoses\ -​ˌsēz How to pronounce psychosis (audio) \

Medical Definition of psychosis

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on psychosis

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for psychosis

Nglish: Translation of psychosis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about psychosis

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