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
Examples of psychotic in a Sentence
He was diagnosed as psychotic.
a psychotic patient who was recently admitted
Recent Examples on the Web
Norman Mailer achieved a similar thing in his non-fiction novel about Gary Gilmore The Executioner’s Song—although, by the time the book was published in 1979, the seedy, psychotic world of Gilmore and his two girlfriends, Nicole and April Baker, hardly came as a revelation.
—
Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Since its introduction in 2022, only people with schizophrenia and other limited psychotic disorders have had access to the program.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Austin Butler’s character, the psychotic conspiracy theorist, was hysterical.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
This might sound ridiculous to anyone outside the hive, but Swift actively encourages this kind of analysis and listicle-bait with borderline psychotic schemes.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for psychotic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Since its introduction in 2022, only people with schizophrenia and other limited psychotic disorders have had access to the program.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Austin Butler’s character, the psychotic conspiracy theorist, was hysterical.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
This might sound ridiculous to anyone outside the hive, but Swift actively encourages this kind of analysis and listicle-bait with borderline psychotic schemes.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for psychotic
Cite this Entry
“Psychotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychotic. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
psychotic
1 of 2 adjective
psy·chot·ic
sī-ˈkät-ik
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis
psychotic
2 of 2 noun
: a psychotic individual
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share