What does "psychiatric" mean?

1. (relating to mental health) relating to the study or treatment of mental illness. 2. (a person with a disorder) an old-fashioned and often impolite way to describe someone with a mental illness.

How do you use "psychiatric"?

Used as a countable noun; now largely replaced by 'psychiatric patient' or 'person with a mental illness'.

psychiatric

adj. · n.

US //ˌsaɪkiˈætɹɪk// UK //sˌaɪkɪˈætɹɪk// psy·chi·atric

1 relating to mental health (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

relating to the study or treatment of mental illness.

of or relating to psychiatry; specifically concerning the medical treatment of mental disorders.

Example

The patient was admitted to the psychiatric ward for further observation.

Example

The hospital expanded its psychiatric department to better address the rising demand for acute mental health interventions in the urban area.
- mental health
- psychological
2 a person with a disorder (n.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic

an old-fashioned and often impolite way to describe someone with a mental illness.

a person diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. This usage is dated and generally considered dehumanising in modern clinical and social contexts.

Example

In the old book, the author refers to the character as a psychiatric.

Example

Nineteenth-century medical texts often used 'psychiatric' as a noun, a practice that has since been replaced by person-first language.

Usage

Used as a countable noun; now largely replaced by 'psychiatric patient' or 'person with a mental illness'.

Teacher's tip

This noun sense is archaic and potentially offensive; students should only use the word as an adjective.
- patient

Origin

From psychiatry + -ic or psych- + -iatric.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026