psychotic

adjective

psy·​chot·​ic sī-ˈkä-tik 

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.

psychotic noun

plural psychotics

psychotically

sī-ˈkä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of psychotic

• insane
• maniacal
• mad
• mental
• psycho
• crazy
• demented
• nuts
• crazed
• disturbed

Examples of psychotic in a Sentence

He was diagnosed as psychotic.

a psychotic patient who was recently admitted

Recent Examples on the Web

Clinicians and researchers have documented cases of people developing psychotic symptoms after extended chatbot use — for instance, believing that the AI is sentient or personally connected to them. —Marc Augustin, STAT, 16 Apr. 2026

Around his college years, Fahim was also involuntarily hospitalized for the first — but not last — time, diagnosed with schizophrenia, and began taking an anti-psychotic medication. —Sean Emery, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026

Philip Seymour Hoffman played him on Broadway as a near-psychotic, his philandering very much to blame for the fall of his elder son, Biff. —Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026

Less commonly, some people experience psychotic symptoms, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, paranoia, confusion or emotional distress. —Hollis Karoly, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for psychotic

• aprotic
• aquatic
• biotic
• chaotic
• cirrhotic
• despotic
• dichotic
• erotic
• euphotic
• exotic
• fibrotic
• hieratic

Kids Definition

psychotic

1 of 2 adjective

psy·​chot·​ic

sī-ˈkät-ik

: of, relating to, or marked by psychosis

psychotic

2 of 2 noun

: a psychotic person

Medical Definition

psychotic

1 of 2 adjective

psy·​chot·​ic sī-ˈkät-ik 

: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis

psychotically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

psychotic

2 of 2 noun

: a psychotic individual