catatonic

adjective

cat·a·ton·ic | \-ˈtä-nik

Definition of catatonic

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 presence— Neil Hickey

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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

Unfortunately, getting answers won’t be easy because the man has been in a catatonic state for almost a decade. — Chuck Barney, Detroit Free Press, "TV highlights for the week of July 8-14," 7 July 2018 Similarly, the Skripals were found slumped on a bench in a catatonic state back in March. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Second Novichok poisoning in Britain raises alarm, questions over contamination," 5 July 2018 There was the medical student who’d become catatonic when faced with an exam, and was accused of wanting, at some level, to jettison his career. — Eric Boodman, STAT, "It’s not ‘all in your head’: When other doctors give up on patients, a boundary-breaking neurologist treats them," 19 June 2018 Annie, as the story opens, has just lost her mother, and at the funeral, Annie’s almost catatonic, quietly brutal eulogy is something to behold. — David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle, "In ‘Hereditary’ starring Toni Collete, a family tree gets uprooted in chilling ways," 4 June 2018 Sure, the baby’s biological mother is basically catatonic with trauma, but Serena’s mood is what’s really going to make the difference! — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Handmaid's Tale Episode 5 Is Utter Despair and I'm Not Sure I Have Any Emotions Left," 16 May 2018 Unlike the tragic-catatonic Post Malone, Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee can be a disarmingly sweet singer. — New York Times, "Post Malone and Rae Sremmurd, Hip-Hop Impressionists Shaping the Stream," 9 May 2018 My mother suffered from severe recurring depression for 30 years, episodes that floored her to the point of near-catatonic inertia. — Anthea Rowan, idahostatesman, "After a stroke, Mum’s decades of severe depression vanished | Idaho Statesman," 15 Mar. 2018 My mother suffered from severe recurring depression for 30 years, episodes that floored her to the point of near-catatonic inertia. — Anthea Rowan, idahostatesman, "After a stroke, Mum’s decades of severe depression vanished | Idaho Statesman," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catatonic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.