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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How did the character of Joel—who is not a straightforward psychopath, if there is such a thing—come to you?—
Deborah Treisman,
The New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2025
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As 40,000 acres burn, animals are incinerated alive and the human death toll rises, only a psychopath would look for advantage.—
Sabrina Haake,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 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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And yet a half-century later, producer Lorne Michaels and his merry maniacs are still at it.—
Marco della Cava,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
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Isaiah Stewart has become a defensive maniac as a full-time center.—
Fred Katz,
The Athletic,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The slow-burn setup (even despite punctuations of mad violence) all leads to the requisite gala centerpiece, where the quote-unquote new and improved Elvira is revealed to her potential Prince.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
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The fires that tore through Altadena and Pacific Palisades have created a mad rush for a place to live, as thousands of newly homeless families enter what was already a housing market in crisis.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Before the show was over, a Black pastor from Detroit named Lorenzo Sewell approached the podium and made a damn fool of himself.—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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In my view, politics have become so closely intertwined with the way people see themselves that separating the two can feel like a fool’s errand.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Jan. 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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Your voice is insane.—
Mary Colurso | [email protected],
al,
4 Apr. 2023
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The Republican and right-wing reaction is just insane.—
Michael Tomasky,
The New Republic,
31 Mar. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near psycho
Cite this Entry
“Psycho.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psycho. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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