ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sociopath

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈsoʊsioʊˌpæθ// UK //sˈəʊsɪˌɒpɑːθ// so·ciopath

n. a person who does not care about other people's feelings or rights. They often behave in harmful ways and do not feel guilty about the damage they cause.

n. a person with a personality disorder manifesting in extreme antisocial attitudes, a lack of conscience, and manipulative behaviour. In non-clinical contexts, it broadly describes anyone who acts with extreme callousness.


SIMPLE

The villain in the movie was a cold and calculating sociopath.

CONTEXTUAL

Because he lied constantly and never showed remorse for hurting his friends, people began to wonder if he was a sociopath.

COMPLEX

While true clinical diagnoses require extensive psychological evaluation, the media often labels any highly manipulative corporate executive who ruthlessly dismantles companies for profit as a functional sociopath.

Synonyms
Origin

From socio- + -path. First use appears c. 1914.

Usage

Often used interchangeably with 'psychopath' in everyday speech; typically modified by adjectives denoting emotional detachment, such as 'cold' or 'calculating'.

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