PSYCHING (OUT) Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

psyching (out)

verb

present participle of psych (out)

as in frightening

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for psyching (out)

Verb

Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.

— Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.

— Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026

Definition of frightening

Verb

Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro resigned Wednesday following an investigation into a complaint alleging the workplace culture under her leadership was oppressive, bullying and intimidating.

— Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026
Speaking of intimidating travel, the Rams made a bold choice in Week 1 to travel very shortly before the game to Australia and play the 49ers.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of intimidating

Verb

Since reintroducing Mexican wolves in 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Service has employed some programs to help manage livestock-wolf conflict, like using range-riders to monitor and deter wolves and scaring them off using non-lethal methods.

— Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Few griz/hunter interactions ever move beyond the scaring stage.

— Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of scaring

Verb

On that day here at home, the country looked as if for the first time at every vulnerability, reorganizing local and state and federal government to do everything in our power to stop radical jihadists from terrorizing us again.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Zymire Hughes, the man accused of terrorizing at least a half-dozen people while wearing a Chucky-style mask in Center City, has been extradited to Philadelphia, police said.

— Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of terrorizing

Verb

The Sagittarius Moon trines Chiron in your partnership zone, softening the instinct to package every feeling so perfectly that nobody could possibly object.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
China's oil import diet in turn helped ease global demand, softening the upward price effects for the United States, Europe and beyond.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of softening

Verb

Another bout of brutal heat and energy-sapping humidity socked Southern California on Thursday, continuing what has been a remarkably muggy summer that’s brought wildfires, coastal erosion, record-breaking temperatures and general misery.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
The yield surge is largely a result of mounting investor concerns about persistent US inflation and ballooning government debt, as well as competition from corporate AI-buildout debt that is sapping demand for Treasuries.

— Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of sapping

Verb

Instead of running an advanced reasoning model on repetitive work and wasting resources, switch to a lightweight model purpose-built for high-volume execution.

— Paul Deraval, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Even after 25 years, Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro’s series about an anthropomorphic milkshake, french fry container, and a wad of meat wasting their days in suburban New Jersey remains one of Adult Swim’s most recognizable properties.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of wasting

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Browse Nearby Words

psychics

psyching (out)

psyching (up)

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“Psyching (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psyching%20%28out%29. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of psyching (out)

verb

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