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 During a crucial scene, Snoop is catatonic, tongue lolling out in distress after being drugged. Courtney Howard, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024 Diaw’s often catatonic expression communicates both rage and resolute purposefulness. Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024 When Martin’s agents inform him that funding for his project depends on making the protagonist a woman, the writer becomes catatonic. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024 Richards was standing perfectly still in the dark, seemingly catatonic, wearing a blue polo shirt and sunglasses and holding a knife in his left hand. Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 14 Dec. 2023 In 2023, McAnuff argues, Tommy’s transformation from catatonic schoolboy to a kind of charismatic cult leader resonates even more strongly when considering the modern-day culture of celebrity worship. Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 12 July 2023 Then 30-year-old Dossena was an intriguing hire, snapped from under Nicolas Ghesquière’s wings at Balenciaga, where the latter had restored a catatonic brand—also Spanish, also embalmed by the myth of its founder— to the apex of au courant desirability. Jessica Iredale, Town & Country, 5 July 2023 Their deceased son’s catatonic ex-soldier-slash-illing machine friend? Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2023 That boy is Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), an elementary schooler and full-time fraidy cat unnerved by heights, spooked by domestic animals, and rendered nearly catatonic by that worst plight of all – the dark. Ben Croll, Variety, 13 June 2023

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

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 19 Mar. 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
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