psycho
psycho — noun
1. an offensive, informal way to refer to someone you believe is crazy, frightening
an offensive, informal way to refer to someone you believe is crazy, frightening, or dangerous in the way they act or think — often used as an insult to put someone down.
Trang called her ex-boyfriend a psycho after he smashed her car window.
often used as an insult after threatening behaviour
A security guard warned us the man was a psycho with a violent past.
labelling someone as dangerous or violent
You should not call someone a psycho just because they behave differently from you.
Tabloids often call criminals psychos, but this adds to the stigma around mental illness.
Zola's roommate warned her: 'The guy in 3B is a psycho — stay away from him.'
- lunatic
also very offensive; old-fashioned term for someone mentally ill
- maniac
similar force; often suggests wild, uncontrolled behaviour
- nutcase
informal, offensive; milder than psycho but still insulting
- psychopath
more clinical but still offensive when used as an insult for anyone unpleasant
文法句型
psycho (countable noun)
call + someone + a psycho
be + a psycho
用法筆記
This word is highly offensive and often used as a slur against people with mental health conditions. Avoid using it. In formal writing, use terms like 'person with a mental illness' or 'someone experiencing psychosis' instead.
常見錯誤
psycho — adjective
1. (informal, offensive) extremely crazy, frightening, or potentially violent — use
(informal, offensive) extremely crazy, frightening, or potentially violent — used to describe a person, their behaviour, or a situation that feels dangerously out of control.
Heloísa's brother went psycho when he found out someone had stolen his bike.
common collocation: go + psycho (become violently angry)
There was a psycho driver on the highway who kept swerving between the lanes.
attributive use: psycho + noun
The horror film was about a landlord who turns psycho and threatens his tenants.
Rachel's friends told her she was being psycho for checking Kevin's messages all night.
文法句型
be + psycho
go + psycho
psycho + noun (attributive)
用法筆記
Like the noun form, the adjective is offensive and should be avoided. 'Go psycho' is a fixed informal phrase meaning to become extremely angry or violent. The attributive use (e.g. 'a psycho killer') appears frequently in tabloid journalism.
常見錯誤
psycho — prefix
1. concerning the mind and how it works — a combining form placed before another wo
concerning the mind and how it works — a combining form placed before another word to create terms about psychology, thinking, and mental health.
Kevin is studying psychoanalysis, which explores how the unconscious mind affects behaviour.
psycho- + analysis = psychoanalysis
The doctor said the chest pain was psychosomatic — caused by stress, not a heart problem.
psycho- + somatic = psychosomatic (mind-body connection)
A psychologist uses talking therapy to help people with their mental health.
After Mei-Lin took the anxiety medication, the psychoactive drug calmed her nerves within an hour.
Sivan took a psycholinguistics course on how the brain processes language.
- soma-
prefix meaning 'body', as in somatosensory or psychosomatic (where both combine)
文法句型
psycho- + noun (e.g. psychoanalysis)
psycho- + adjective (e.g. psychosomatic)
用法筆記
Unlike the noun and adjective senses, the prefix 'psycho-' is neutral and technical. It appears in formal academic fields such as psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience. The 'p' is silent at the start of 'psycho-' in words like 'psychology' /saɪˈkɒl.ə.dʒi/.