catatonic

adjective

cat·​a·​ton·​ic ˌka-tə-ˈtä-nik How to pronounce catatonic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with catatonia
catatonic schizophrenia
2
: characterized by a marked lack of movement, activity, or expression
tourists who were almost catatonic at finding themselves in their hero's presenceNeil Hickey
catatonic noun
catatonically adverb

Examples of catatonic in a Sentence

a catatonic stare was all that the neglected resident of the nursing home seemed capable of
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Things were going fair to middling with his candidacy until Biden’s catastrophic, catatonic debate performance in June, which caused a major Democratic freak-out and resulted in his grudging departure from the ticket and endorsement of Harris. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024 This sends her into a near catatonic state, and she is soothed by Judith, who calms her down. Manuel Betancourt, Vulture, 19 July 2024 Netto and Schindler take pains to point out the irony of Iris’ predicament: Iris has emerged from the emotionally catatonic state that she’s been in since the day of her son’s accident… just to wind up in a physically catatonic state at the site of her son’s accident. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024 But Folie à Deux uses Arthur’s catatonic depression to emphasize what his path to stardom really was: a killing spree that landed him in jail and well on his way to being executed by the state. Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for catatonic 

Word History

Etymology

see catatonia

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of catatonic was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near catatonic

Cite this Entry

“Catatonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catatonic. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

catatonic

1 of 2 adjective
cata·​ton·​ic ˌkat-ə-ˈtän-ik How to pronounce catatonic (audio)
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with catatonia
catatonic schizophrenia
catatonic rigidity
catatonic patients
catatonically adverb

catatonic

2 of 2 noun
: a catatonic individual
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!