sociopath

[ soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee- ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

sociopath

/ ˌsəʊsɪˈɒpəθɪ; ˈsəʊsɪəˌpæθ /

noun

1. psychiatry another name for psychopath

sociopath

1. Someone whose social behavior is extremely abnormal. Sociopaths are interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others. ( Compare psychopath .)

Derived Forms

• sociopathy, noun
• ˌsocioˈpathic, adjective

Other Words From

• soci·o·pathic adjective
• so·ci·op·a·thy [soh-see-, op, -, uh, -thee, soh-shee-], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sociopath¹

First recorded in 1940–45; socio- + -path

Example Sentences

If “Joker: Folie à Deux” showed us anything, it’s that there can be blissful magic even when two sociopaths fall in love.

From Los Angeles Times

Multiple people cited the hostility Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, has expressed publicly over a dozen times towards childless women, who he's deemed "miserable cat ladies" and "sociopaths."

From Salon

Media Matters dug up a whopping 13 other instances of Vance railing about childless women, calling them "sociopaths" who "must be stopped."

From Salon

That’s what the future holds if we allow misinformation and disinformation, weaponized by sociopaths seeking financial or partisan gain, to guide our actions.

From Los Angeles Times

It's not just false to say the childless are "sociopaths," as Vance has repeatedly asserted.

From Salon

Related Words

• lunatic