psychotic

adjective

psy·chot·ic | \ sī-ˈkä-tik

Definition of psychotic

1 medical : of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis a psychotic patient psychotic behavior

2 sometimes offensive : exhibiting or suggestive of mental or emotional unsoundness or instability —not used technically

Note: The nontechnical use of psychotic is increasingly viewed as a trivialization of mental illness.

Other Words from psychotic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About psychotic

Examples of psychotic in a Sentence

He was diagnosed as psychotic. a psychotic patient who was recently admitted

Recent Examples on the Web Long-acting drugs are helping to stabilize many thousands of them for weeks or months, doctors said, reducing the risk of relapse or psychotic episodes that could require hospitalization. — Julie Wernau, WSJ, 16 May 2022 The Adventures of Lyle Swann (1982), a former Vietnam War tunnel rat in Ted Kotcheff’s Uncommon Valor (1983) and a rumpled cop who battles a psychotic criminal (Alec Baldwin) and loses his dentures in George Armitage’s Miami Blues (1990). — Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2022 Newsom has focused CARE Court on those suffering from psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, and people who lack medical decision-making capacity. — Hannah Wileystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2022 Psychedelics can be destabilizing for people who’ve had psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, and potentially for people with bipolar or borderline personality disorder. — Olivia Goldhill, STAT, 10 Mar. 2022 In Portugal, researchers observed a 29-fold increase in hospitalization for psychotic disorders in the 15-year period after decriminalization. — Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 17 Feb. 2022 According to the suit, Miller, who has experience in handling psychotic patients in the emergency room, alerted the DCFS hotline twice and got no response. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2022 An episode in which Ford collapses into a semi-psychotic episode from her pain, strong medications and alcohol while her children are home is devastating, but Pfeiffer keeps Ford from becoming a caricature of an addict. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2022 Researchers found that psychotic disorder diagnoses were associated with a 10% lower risk of breakthrough infection among people under 65—the only instance in which a psychiatric disorder diagnosis was tied to a lower breakthrough risk. — Zachary Snowdon Smith, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 See More

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