psychotic

[sahy-kot-ik] /saɪˈkɒt ɪk/
adjective
1.
2.
Psychiatry. of or relating to psychosis: psychotic symptoms;
psychotic delusion.
3.
(loosely) mentally unstable:
The man who threw a stone through the convenience store window must be psychotic.
4.
intensely upset, anxious, or angry; crazy:
My dad gets so psychotic when I come home even a little bit late.
noun
5.
Psychiatry. a person afflicted with psychosis.
6.
(loosely) someone who is mentally unstable:
I always cross the street when I have to go past that homeless shelter; it's full of psychotics.
Synonyms: nut, kook, cuckoo, loony, loon.
7.
someone who exhibits extreme emotion or behavior:
My brother turns into a complete psychotic whenever his team loses.
Synonyms: lunatic, maniac, psycho.
Origin
1885-85; psych(osis) + -otic
Related forms
psychotically, adverb
nonpsychotic, adjective
semipsychotic, adjective
unpsychotic, adjective
Can be confused
Examples from the web for psychotic
  • Antipsychotic drugs can help decrease or stop the psychotic symptoms and bizarre behavior.
  • In her sophomore year, she suffered a psychotic break and had to be hospitalized and to withdraw from college.
  • His elder brother suffered horribly and later became psychotic.
  • The drug elevates aggression levels and psychotic behavior, often generating fierce outbursts.
  • Two drugs that doctors have long used to treat malaria and certain psychotic illnesses may one day find a new use.
  • The theories run the gamut ranging from personality disorders to affective disorders to psychotic disorders.
  • Being a psychotic may not make you successful, but it helps.
  • Actions deemed odd, psychotic or even barbaric by one culture may be perfectly acceptable to another.
  • And those who go long enough without sleep are at risk of a psychotic break, complete with hallucinations.
  • The writer is using testosterone rather than synapses to do his thinking, and is displaying paranoid psychotic behaviour patterns.
British Dictionary definitions for psychotic

psychotic

/saɪˈkɒtɪk/
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or characterized by psychosis
noun
2.
a person experiencing psychosis
Derived Forms
psychotically, adverb
Usage note
It is preferable to talk about a person experiencing psychosis rather than a psychotic, which reduces a person's individuality
Word Origin and History for psychotic
adj.

1889, coined from psychosis, on the model of neurotic/neurosis, from Greek psykhe- "mind, soul" (see psyche).

n.

"a psychotic person," 1901, from psychotic (adj.).

psychotic in Medicine

psychotic psy·chot·ic (sī-kŏt'ĭk)
adj.
Of, relating to, or affected by psychosis. n.
A person affected by psychosis.

psychotic in Science
psychosis
  (sī-kō'sĭs)   
Plural psychoses (sī-kō'sēz)
A mental state caused by psychiatric or organic illness, characterized by a loss of contact with reality and an inability to think rationally. A psychotic person often behaves inappropriately and is incapable of normal social functioning.

psychotic adjective (sī-kŏt'ĭk)