psychopath

noun

psy·​cho·​path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath 

ˈsī-kō-

: a mentally unstable person

especially : a person having an egocentric and antisocial personality marked by a lack of remorse for one's actions, an absence of empathy for others, and often criminal tendencies

Synonyms

• bug
• crackbrain
• crazy
• fool
• fruitcake
• head case
• loon
• loony
• lunatic
• maniac
• nut
• nutcase
• nutter [British slang]
• psycho
• sickie
• sicko
• wacko
• whacko

Examples of psychopath in a Sentence

declared that he was a dangerous psychopath

Recent Examples on the Web

Or Austin Butler giving alabaster psychopath in Dune: Part Two. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024

Sadly, this instinct goes both ways—psychopaths are similarly able to read others, most notably vulnerable targets. —Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

The dream of every psychopath; the nightmare of every democracy. —Ursula Schmied, Glamour, 4 Dec. 2024

Bardem also stars as Anton Chigurh, a menacing psychopath who is trying to track Moss down to recover the cash. —Tim Lammers, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

psychopath

noun

psy·​cho·​path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath 

: a mentally ill or unstable person

especially : one who does not feel guilty about not living up to normal social and moral responsibilities and exhibits a disregard for the feelings and safety of others

Medical Definition

psychopath

noun

psy·​cho·​path ˈsī-kə-ˌpath 

1

: a person having an egocentric and antisocial personality marked by a lack of remorse for one's actions, an absence of empathy for others, and often criminal tendencies

2

formerly : a person with antisocial personality disorder