psychedelic
noun
psy·che·del·ic
| \ ˌsī-kə-ˈde-lik
\
\
Definition of psychedelic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a psychedelic drug (such as LSD)
psychedelic
adjectiveDefinition of psychedelic (Entry 2 of 2)
b
: produced by or associated with the use of psychedelic drugs
a psychedelic experience
2
: imitating, suggestive of, or reproducing effects (such as distorted or bizarre images or sounds) resembling those produced by psychedelic drugs
psychedelic color schemes
3
: of, relating to, characteristic of, or being the period of the mid- to late-1960's that is associated with the psychedelic drug culture
psychedelic rock the psychedelic era/movement … the "rainbow newspaper" of San Francisco that burst onto the psychedelic scene in 1966 …— Don Lattin … speaking of stereotypes, the illustrations reject any hint of a '60s psychedelic style …— Steven Heller
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from psychedelic
Adjective
psychedelically
\ ˌsī-kə-ˈde-li-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of psychedelic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Neuroscientist Robin Carhart-Harris suggests that psychedelics can, in effect, ‘reboot’ the brain. — Michael Pollan, WSJ, "The New Science of Psychedelics," 3 May 2018 Unlike synthetic psychedelics such as LSD, the amount of psilocybin in magic mushrooms varies with the species, the batch, even the cap versus the stem. — Catherine Ryan Gregory, Marie Claire, "The Trip of a Lifetime," 9 July 2019 Anecdotally, people also report that psychedelics like psilocybin can be taken in micro-doses to improve concentration and alertness. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Oakland becomes second US city to decriminalize magic mushrooms," 5 June 2019 Even doctors and psychiatrists who are the most excited about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics agree that self-medicating is a dangerous prospect. — Allure, "Your Guide to Microdosing for Anxiety and Depression," 19 Apr. 2019 This wasn’t at a party or rave but part of a quiet exploration of the mind’s capabilities (more of a Timothy Leary experience than a Ken Kesey one, for those versed in the history of psychedelics). — Rob Reid, Ars Technica, "Ars on your lunch break: Getting high and breaking faith," 17 Oct. 2018 And the one with all the psychedelics and the counterculture origins. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Corey Pein, author of ‘Live Work Work Work Die,’ on Recode Decode," 13 June 2018 How to Change Your Mind begins with a hunt for psychedelics in the Pacific Northwest. — Matt Mccarthy, USA TODAY, "Michael Pollan's long, strange trip on LSD: 'How to Change Your Mind' may not," 22 May 2018 Was there any link between Shakespeare and psychedelics? — Clay Skipper, GQ, "Michael Pollan on Why Psychedelics Might Save Us All," 18 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Guests can win oversized floppy psychedelic hats or purchase floral head wreaths at the event. — Melanie Feuk, Houston Chronicle, "Tomball’s GroovFest ‘19 to celebrate ‘all things groovy’," 4 Sep. 2019 The result is an audio-visual bonanza told on a huge canvas, alternately psychedelic, baffling, gorgeous, soul-crushing, and hilarious. — Peter Opaskar, Ars Technica, "Apocalypse Now Final Cut," 31 Aug. 2019 Some varieties of hallucination, various psychedelic hallucinations among them, combine a sense of unreality with perceptual vividness, as does lucid dreaming. — Anil K. Seth, Scientific American, "The Neuroscience of Reality," 27 Aug. 2019 What's psychedelic, went from zero to 60 mph in less than 40 seconds, and could pack in a touring band AND a sizable audience? — David Morgan, CBS News, "A Woodstock icon recreated: The VW "Light Bus"," 4 Aug. 2019 She had been married since 1997 to Peter Max, whose psychedelic, colorful artworks have been celebrated since the 1960s. — Washington Post, "Artist Peter Max’s wife found dead in a suspected suicide," 11 June 2019 She had been married since 1997 to Peter Max, whose psychedelic, colorful artworks have been celebrated since the 1960s. — Verena Dobnik, USA TODAY, "Peter Max's wife found dead amid allegations she exploited the artist," 11 June 2019 There weren’t many outlets for an astral-traveling future psychedelic painter to express himself in Chkalovsky. — Duff Mcdonald, WIRED, "The Cosmic, Psychedelic, Glow-in-the-Dark Art of Alex Aliume," 20 Aug. 2019 The psychedelic technique once synonymous with counterculture hippiedom has re-emerged in a number of young labels including Long Dawn Emily’s all-natural pieces, and Collina Strada’s camp-counselor inspired collection. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Of Course Céline Dion Gave Tie-Dye an OTT Twist," 20 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'psychedelic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for psychedelic
psychedelic
noun
English Language Learners Definition of psychedelic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a psychedelic drug (such as LSD)
psychedelic
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of psychedelic (Entry 2 of 2)
—used to describe a drug (such as LSD) that affects your thinking and causes you to see things that are not real
: caused by the use of psychedelic drugs
: suggesting the effects of psychedelic drugs by having bright colors, strange sounds, etc.
See the full definition for psychedelic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
psychedelic
noun
psy·che·del·ic
| \ ˌsī-kə-ˈdel-ik
\
\
Medical Definition of psychedelic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a psychedelic drug (as LSD)
psychedelic
adjective