psychotic

Derived in English from psychosis +‎ -tic; compare French psychotique, German psychotisch. Attested from the late 19th century. Compare earlier neurotic.

• IPA^(key): /ˌsaɪˈkɒtɪk/

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psychotic (comparative more psychotic, superlative most psychotic)

1. Of, related to, or suffering from psychosis.
   • 1995, José A. Valciukas, Forensic Neuropsychology, page 277:

     Direct evidence on psychotic behavior is the presence of either delusions or hallucinations (without insight into their pathological nature).

   • 2014, Ian McEwan, The Children Act, Penguin Random House (2018), page 152:

     She suffered psychotic episodes during which she believed herself to be spied upon by light bulbs.

   • 2017, Mark Lukach, My Lovely Wife: A Memoir of Madness and Hope:

     She couldn't possibly know that I was parking in the same spot to visit my psychotic wife on the third floor of the hospital, the floor that needed a special elevator for access.

2. (informal) Out of control, bizarre, or crazy.
   • 2012, Jodi.C.King, I Was a Killing Joke: A Bird's Eye View:

     Full-bodied tribal rhythms, weird bendy bass lines, screechy high-end guitar melodies, and more psychotic lyrics about "Tension," "Butchers," and "Madness."

   • 2013, Trent Bax, Youth and Internet Addiction in China:

     This had left the mother feeling "psychotic" and "helpless" because she could not change the family, the school, and society that she said had all caused the son harm.

   • 2017, John Connolly, A Game of Ghosts, page 14:

     And if you ever try to record one of our conversations again, I'll set the dogs on you and your psychotic friends, and let them tear you all apart.

psychotic (plural psychotics)

1. A person affected by psychosis.

• “psychotic, adj. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2007.