as in blank
not expressing any emotion
a catatonic stare was all that the neglected resident of the nursing home seemed capable of
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Recent Examples of catatonic
This experience has left Morrissey in a catatonic state.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Hughes generally spends about half of a 30-minute game on the ice, but his rare time sitting while teammates are playing is spent in what looks like a state of almost catatonic focus.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2026
Addie was mostly catatonic by early 2025, spending most of her time sitting and staring.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 31 Jan. 2026
Another notable development is that Eleven finds her mother, who's in a catatonic state.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catatonic
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Hughes generally spends about half of a 30-minute game on the ice, but his rare time sitting while teammates are playing is spent in what looks like a state of almost catatonic focus.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2026
Addie was mostly catatonic by early 2025, spending most of her time sitting and staring.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 31 Jan. 2026
Another notable development is that Eleven finds her mother, who's in a catatonic state.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catatonic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catatonic
Adjective
-
Hands clasped, head bowed, blank and fair of face.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
My position is that California should continue the project, but under a much stricter framework, which includes realistic phasing, stronger independent oversight, honest public timelines and no blank-check mentality.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Suliman stood motionless while Infantino and Rajoub continued an impassioned conversation which lasted several minutes.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The world's first motionless picture.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But during a time when Detroit officials had verifiable data on formerly vacant homes and buildings being redeveloped into housing, they were frustrated that Census population estimates did not align with local data.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
Whatever the case may be, don’t let your shoes spend too long vacant on the porch.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catatonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catatonic. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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