Psychic Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms psychic American [sahy-kik] / ˈsaɪ kɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the human soul or mind; mental.

2. Psychology. pertaining to or noting mental phenomena.

3. outside of natural or scientific knowledge; spiritual.

4. of or relating to some apparently nonphysical force or agency.

   psychic research;

   psychic phenomena.

5. sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature.

noun

1. a person who is allegedly sensitive to psychic influences or forces; medium.

psychic British / ˈsaɪkɪk /

adjective

1. 1. outside the possibilities defined by natural laws, as mental telepathy

   2. (of a person) sensitive to forces not recognized by natural laws

2. mental as opposed to physical; psychogenic

3. bridge (of a bid) based on less strength than would normally be required to make the bid

"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

noun

1. a person who is sensitive to parapsychological forces or influences

"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

Other Word Forms

• interpsychic adjective
• nonpsychic adjective
• nonpsychical adjective
• psychical adjective
• psychically adverb
• unpsychic adjective

Etymology

Origin of psychic

First recorded in 1855–60; from Greek psȳchikós “of the soul”; Psyche, -ic

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.

Cake, it turns out, carries a lot of psychic weight.

From Salon

After the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, Pratt told the Oklahoman newspaper that the FBI asked him to sketch a potential suspect from a description by a psychic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Video clips later published by McGill University’s Office for Science and Society show Mercola telling the psychic that he wants to “destroy the veterinary industry.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In mid-December, as the year wheezed toward its end and everyone collectively stared into the psychic refrigerator to see what was left, Merriam-Webster announced its 2025 word of the year: slop.

From Salon

In his loopy 1957 essay on hipsters, Norman Mailer talked about the “psychic havoc” of living under the threat of nuclear annihilation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• mental
• metaphysical
• psychological
• spiritual
• supernatural

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.