psyche

noun

psy·​che ˈsī-kē 

1

capitalized : a princess loved by Cupid

2

[Greek psychē]

a

: soul, personality

the nation's consumer psyche

—D. J. Kevles

b

: the totality of elements forming the mind (see mind entry 1 sense 2)

specifically, in Freudian psychoanalytic theory : the id, ego, and superego including both conscious and unconscious components

Did you know?

Sometime back in the 16th century, we borrowed the word psyche directly from Greek into English. In Greek mythology, Psyche was a beautiful princess who fell in love with Eros (Cupid), god of love, and went through terrible trials before being allowed to marry him. The story is often understood to be about the soul redeeming itself through love. (To the Greeks, psyche also meant "butterfly", which suggests how they imagined the soul.) In English, psyche often sounds less spiritual than soul, less intellectual than mind, and more private than personality.

Synonyms

• soul
• spirit

Examples of psyche in a Sentence

some hidden corner within your psyche

disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist

Recent Examples on the Web

With your celestial ruler, Mercury, also entering Aries on March 3, this area of your chart with become emphasized, urging you to dig into the deeper aspects of your psyche. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025

But even Inside Out’s biggest fans can admit the movie was already barely hanging onto its internal logic of personality elements working as an uneasy team to create a child’s psyche. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025

The tension between the desire to make something outside the self and the inability to fulfill that desire coils inside them, wringing out their psyches. —Audrey Wollen, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2025

From Germany, Friedel hopped on a Zoom with Variety to dive into Fabian’s sweet but tortured psyche. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek psychē soul

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for psyche

• nike
• spiky

Kids Definition

psyche

noun

psy·​che ˈsī-kē 

1

: soul entry 1 sense 2, self

2

: mind entry 1 sense 2

Medical Definition

psyche

noun

psy·​che ˈsī-(ˌ)kē 

: the specialized cognitive, conative, and affective aspects of a psychosomatic unity : mind

specifically : the totality of the id, ego, and superego including both conscious and unconscious components