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Synonyms

psychotropic

American  
[sahy-koh-troh-pik] / ˌsaɪ koʊˈtroʊ pɪk /

adjective

  1. affecting mental activity, behavior, or perception, as a mood-altering drug.

noun

  1. a psychotropic drug, as a tranquilizer, sedative, or antidepressant.

psychotropic British  
/ ˌsaɪkəʊˈtrɒpɪk /

adjective

  1. another word for psychoactive

"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

Etymology

Origin of psychotropic

First recorded in 1945–50; psycho- + -tropic

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.

But Mascaro’s style is too realistic to take us on a goofy psychotropic bender.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The next steps are often powerful psychotropic drugs—including antipsychotics, antidepressants and sleep aids—even though their combined effects in young children haven’t been studied closely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Another study cited about the advertising of psychotropic medications for youth was not written by the listed author, the university that employs him told AFP and Reuters.

From BBC • May 30, 2025

Natasha Lyonne, of the provocative “Orange Is the New Black” and the psychotropic “Russian Doll,” now plays a retro-revamped Columbo figure in “Poker Face.”

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2024

By keeping to my program he could stay off mind-numbing psychotropic medication if he kept up his megavitamins and minerals.

From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Solomon, Steve

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.