How to Use psychopathy in a Sentence

psychopathy

noun
  • There are so many pieces of psychopathy that are manifested in the shape of a toaster.
    — New York Times, 20 July 2022
  • Seeing psychopathy through this different lens opened new doors to researchers.
    — David Adam, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023
  • About a quarter showed signs of depression and psychopathy — that is, hopelessness combined with a lack of remorse.
    — Benedict Carey, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2016
  • Still, researchers stress that a callous child—even one who was born that way—is not automatically destined for psychopathy.
    — Barbara Bradley Hagerty, The Atlantic, 16 May 2017
  • Participants could reliably spot high narcissism in both men and women, and high psychopathy in men.
    — Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
  • That’s because reliable tools for identifying psychopathy were not available at that time.
    — David Dematteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Some even want to reclaim and rehabilitate the concept of psychopathy itself.
    — David Adam, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023
  • His unadulterated psychopathy led to some of the most fascinating and brutal moments across this season and the next.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2026
  • While psychopathy is no longer in the DSM, it has been vigorously researched and written about for decades.
    — David Dematteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • But a closer look reveals that yawn contagion did not correlate with the overall measure of psychopathy but rather with one of three submeasures.
    — Daniel Engber, Slate Magazine, 2 Mar. 2017
  • While not all psychopaths become serial killers, many serial killers possess attributes of psychopathy.
    — Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2021
  • These images were created by blending the faces of real people who had scored very high or very low on traits like psychopathy, narcissism, or agreeableness.
    — Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
  • There is still a lot to be learned about these traits and the select few who embody the truest clinical expressions of sociopathy, psychopathy, or narcissism.
    — Talkspace, Teen Vogue, 23 Oct. 2017
  • She was obsessed with willpower, seemed to view psychopathy as liberational and aspirational, and claimed mind control.
    — Aja Romano, Vox, 24 Feb. 2025
  • My manic episodes are, of course, a manifestation of my own particular psychopathy.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Other research has focused on the brain structure and function associated with psychopathy.
    — David Dematteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Many are walking among us, leading completely normal lives, and are even some of the most successful members of society, precisely because of their psychopathy.
    — Xanthe Mallett, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Like many serious collectors of arcane but precious objects, Smith could be irascible, mean, and single-minded to the point of psychopathy.
    — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020
  • Caped Crusader pays homage to this creepy appearance, fitting him into a collection of foes that straddle the line between colorful costumes and psychopathy.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 July 2024
  • This is because of the difficulty in assessing some of the emotional characteristics of psychopathy.
    — David Dematteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers found that individuals with high levels of psychopathy and narcissism are especially inclined towards this form of cheating.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
  • People may also refer to these as characteristics of a sociopath or psychopath, but sociopathy and psychopathy are not official diagnoses. Check with a healthcare provider for an official diagnosis of ASPD—and know that professional mental health support is available to cope with the outcome.
    — Cristina Mutchler, Health, 21 June 2023
  • Research shows that internet trolls tend to display personality traits like sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.
    — German Lopez, Vox, 5 June 2018
  • Sociopathy and psychopathy are often used interchangeably in clinical settings.
    — Talkspace, Teen Vogue, 23 Oct. 2017
  • McAvoy’s gift for a rictus grin and a swaggering machismo that eases you into feeling comfortable, only to twist on a 180 into pure psychopathy, is well-played here.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
  • Worse yet, the researchers found that AI brain rot brought out an LLM’s darkest traits, including higher rates of psychopathy and narcissism.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Hopkins leans into the psychopathy of the character, making Sir John’s villain monologue and eventual showdown with Lawrence more campy than tragic.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Hawkins knows exactly how to play Laura’s cheery psychopathy and cunning cruelties, and Wong, in her first film role, gives Piper a spirited independence.
    — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 29 May 2025
  • Sandra Oh) is a very mid-level British intelligence operative with a side interest in criminal psychopathy.
    — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022
  • However, the analysis also showed that certain traits associated with psychopathy were perceived as slightly positive for men, but negative for women.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 26 Oct. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'psychopathy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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