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

Devlin said eight jurors including herself began deliberation believing that Clancy, 36, was experiencing a psychotic episode when her children were killed in suburban Boston. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Her defense, however, argued that Clancy killed her children after suffering a postpartum psychotic break. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026

The defense would have benefitted from calling a specialist in postpartum mood disorders to explain how easily psychotic symptoms can be missed in high-functioning new mothers. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Three months later, another psychotic meditator came in, from the same retreat center. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for psychotic

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

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