as in psychotic
having or showing a very abnormal or sick state of mind
only someone who is totally psycho could have committed such a heinous crime
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in psychopath
a person having or showing a severely disordered or abnormal state of mind
a story based on a real-life psycho who had serious mother-son issues
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of psycho
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023
Here is McCarthy’s God: a deranged psycho who not only tolerates his world’s atrocities but conceives of them in these strange and inhuman terms.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2022
Gen X icons Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, and David Arquette teach some Gen Z whippersnappers how to avoid being murdered by a masked psycho in the new trailer for Scream 5.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2021
Australian actor Josh Lawson as the psycho Kano steals the movie with enough twisted humor to deserve his own franchise.
—Mark Kennedy, Star Tribune, 22 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for psycho
Noun
Yet the bear adds gore and suspense and a soupçon of lurid excitement, the same way that an ax-wielding psycho does.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023
Here is McCarthy’s God: a deranged psycho who not only tolerates his world’s atrocities but conceives of them in these strange and inhuman terms.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2022
Gen X icons Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, and David Arquette teach some Gen Z whippersnappers how to avoid being murdered by a masked psycho in the new trailer for Scream 5.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2021
Australian actor Josh Lawson as the psycho Kano steals the movie with enough twisted humor to deserve his own franchise.
—Mark Kennedy, Star Tribune, 22 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for psycho
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psycho
Adjective
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The counselor also told police Trotman had had a previous psychotic break in which he was found wandering the woods.—
Peter Hermann,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2023
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Lewis prescribed Price anti-psychotic medication after a mental health referral Sept. 1.—
Thomas Saccente,
Arkansas Online,
17 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Stories for the waiting room According to Kevin Dutton, a British psychologist and author, and assorted studies, the 10 careers with the highest proportion of psychopaths are CEO, lawyer, TV news personalities, salespeople, surgeons, journalists, police officers, clergy, chefs and civil servants.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2025
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Burrough reveals the hero of Bob Dylan’s 1967 ballad to be a psychopath.—
Paul Begala,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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With his shock of spiky hair and adrenaline rushes, Smith turns a corporate villain into a lunatic new-wave frontman.—
Charles McNultyTheater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2023
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The first personality is the lunatic, chaotic artist, with no limits.—
John Bleasdale,
Variety,
8 Dec. 2022
Noun
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The fact that death itself is the protagonist, rather than some mask-wearing homicidal maniac, is what gives these films their morbid allure.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2025
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And a perilous Purge situation flooding the streets with maniacs?—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But people who might be mad at the thought of gay prince are going to be mad regardless.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
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The abuse from Claude stopped only because Johnson got mad.—
Alexis Okeowo,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Noun
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Tobias is Flashlight’s court fool, a source of chaos, comedy, and pathos.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2025
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Camp offered sanctuary, a mode of performance that didn’t suffer hypocritical fools gladly.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Contrary to popular belief, peanuts are actually not nuts.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
30 Mar. 2023
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Nonetheless, April 5, 2022, was nuts.—
Childs Walker,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Psycho.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psycho. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
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