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psychedelic

psychedelic

19 7.9
Causing people to see or feel things that are not real
  • adjective
  • /ˌsaɪkəˈdɛlɪk/
  • NSFW
translation icon : psicodélico
  • On one side, you had counterculture, poetry, and psychedelic substances; on the other, very rigid, dogmatic politics.
  • psychedelic drugs
  • psychedelic use

The the the key to successful classic psychedelic trips is surrender.

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Examples

  • On Tuesday, Detroit voted to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.

  • Indeed, it is remarkable just how often ancient shamanic experiences are echoed in contemporary psychedelic ones.

    Academic text (1990)
  • You have a show which is built around your psychedelic experiences.

  • And basically they were responsible for the psychedelic movement.

  • You get into psychedelic drugs; you have to be prepared to give everything else up.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And psychedelic trips can function in much the same way.

  • The psychedelic experience is a confrontation with the divine.

  • And this creates, as you might imagine, as this is a talk on psychedelics, quite vivid psychedelic trips.

  • And this guy's doubting a lifelong belief in the afterlife because of a psychedelic cactus he just ate.

  • The artist's latest collection features psychedelic patterns that mesmerize viewers with their vivid colors.

Synonyms

surreal
vspsychedelic
81 7.0

Strange like a dream and not real

emphasizes intense hallucinations and sensory distortions beyond general dreamlike oddness
trippy
vspsychedelic
  • NSFW
14 8.7

Looks and feels strange and dreamlike, often with bright changing colors

is the clinical or wider term for vivid distortions and intense sensations
hallucinogenic
vspsychedelic
  • NSFW
13 7.8

Causing a person to see or hear things that are not real

is broader, covering any state, drug, or event causing vivid perceptions and feelings
mind-altering
vspsychedelic
  • NSFW
8 7.0

Makes a person think or feel differently

is narrower, specifically involving vivid, distorted perceptions and hallucinations
hallucinatory
vspsychedelic
5 8.8

That makes someone see or hear things that are not real

is similar but also highlights intense feelings alongside distorted perceptions
mind-bending
vspsychedelic
  • Informal
4 8.6

Causes big changes in how you think or see things

focuses more on vivid sensory distortions and intense feelings rather than just effect
phantasmagoric
vspsychedelic
  • Literature
1 9.9

Looks like a strange dream with changing images

is more about intense sensory distortion and possible hallucinations rather than imagery alone
phantasmagorical
vspsychedelic
  • Literature
1 9.9

Something that looks strange and like a vivid dream

leans more toward sensory distortion and strong feelings than just strange imagery
trancelike
vspsychedelic
1 7.4

You are very still and not aware of things around you

is about vivid, distorted perceptions and strong feelings rather than inward absorption
lysergic
vspsychedelic
  • NSFW
9.9

Showing very strange dreamlike scenes with bright melting colors

covers similar vivid distortions but is not tied to a specific drug type
phantasmic
vspsychedelic
  • Literature
9.7

Having a quality like a dream or a ghost that seems unreal

focuses more on vivid, often intense sensory and emotional distortions rather than mere unreality

Antonyms

269 3.2

Not having drunk alcohol or taken drugs

1 4.9

Able to think clearly and make good decisions

Compounds

3 7.2

A drug that makes you see or hear things that are not real and changes how you think and feel

1 4.8

Rock music from the 1960s with unusual sounds and effects that suggest drug experiences

How Hallucinatory

hallucinogenic
  • NSFW
13 7.8
psychedelic
  • NSFW
19 7.9
trippy
  • NSFW
14 8.7
surreal
81 7.0

Surface Forms

psychedelic positive

Morphology

psychedelic = psyche (semi-transparent) = psyche + delic

The relation to 'psyche' (mind) is clear, but the combining element '-delic' is not a familiar productive suffix and the specific sense 'causing hallucinations/vivid perceptions' requires cultural or medical knowledge.

Etymology

Psychedelic comes from the Greek parts psyche ('mind') and -delic ('to show'), so it literally means 'making the mind visible', which fits experiences that cause vivid, strange images and feelings.