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psychosis

American  
[sahy-koh-sis] / saɪˈkoʊ sɪs /

noun

Psychiatry.

plural

psychoses

  1. a mental disorder characterized by symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations, that indicate impaired contact with reality.

  2. any severe form of mental disorder, as schizophrenia or paranoia.

psychosis British  
/ saɪˈkəʊsɪs /

noun

  1. any form of severe mental disorder in which the individual's contact with reality becomes highly distorted Compare neurosis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
psychosis Scientific  
/ sī-kō′sĭs /

plural

psychoses

  1. 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.

psychosis Cultural  

  1. A severe mental disorder, more serious than neurosis, characterized by disorganized thought processes, disorientation in time and space, hallucinations, and delusions. Paranoia, manic depression, megalomania, and schizophrenia are all psychoses. One who suffers from psychosis is psychotic.

Etymology

Origin of psychosis

First recorded in 1840–50, psychosis is from the Late Greek word psȳ́chōsis animation, principle of life. See psych-, -osis

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Three psychiatrists who assessed Skebas agreed he had schizophrenia and was showing symptoms of psychosis on the day he killed Lilia.

From BBC

Calocane, who had suffered with paranoid delusions and symptoms of psychosis, had also researched "mind control technology".

From BBC

It accepts children aged 12 to 17 who are usually at crisis point with a range of mental health illnesses including eating disorders, depression and psychosis.

From BBC

This was the version of reality she lived after early mental health issues mushroomed into full-blown psychosis.

From BBC

Now, though things feel different: "It's not that there's psychosis, but it does make you just a bit reluctant to get on a train, without a doubt."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.