catatonic

cat·a·ton·ic | \ ˌka-tə-ˈtä-nik

How to pronounce catatonic (audio)

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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 Williams plays a doctor who has, at least temporarily, helped patients come out of decades-long catatonic states. — Dorrine Mendoza, CNN, "Robin Williams: His advice still matters," 11 Aug. 2019 Last December, Brighid FitzGibbon’s son, Evan, entered a catatonic state. — Jocelyn Wiener, SFChronicle.com, "Calif. counties inconsistent in offering critical treatment for early psychosis," 5 July 2019 The film shows nearly catatonic elderly people responding to musical stimulation as though animated by a power switch. — Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, "Music might someday unlock the mind's memories, so make your playlist now," 14 June 2019 The season premiere sees June reassigned to a new household in the wake of Nicole’s disappearance and the Waterford house burning down in a fire started by a near-catatonic Serena (Yvonne Strahovski). — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Handmaid's Tale," 5 June 2019 There, Detective Richard finds Camille practically catatonic, but saves her and Amma while the other police arrest Adora. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Sharp Objects' Cliffhanger Season Finale Is Pure, Confusing Terror," 27 Aug. 2018 A few more years of this and the simple joy of being able to leave a project out on a workbench overnight is going to leave me catatonic with glee. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Joy and Agony of Woodworking in a Tiny Apartment," 10 Mar. 2017 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

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.

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Dictionary Entries near catatonic

catathermometer

catathymic crisis

catatonic schizophrenia

Statistics for catatonic

Time Traveler for catatonic

The first known use of catatonic was in 1904

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