catatonic

adjective

cat·​a·​ton·​ic ˌka-tə-ˈtä-nik 

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

catatonic noun

catatonically

ˌka-tə-ˈtä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• blank
• deadpan
• empty
• expressionless
• impassive
• inexpressive
• numb
• stolid
• vacant

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

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

Word History

Etymology

see catatonia

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

catatonic

1 of 2 adjective

cata·​ton·​ic ˌkat-ə-ˈtän-ik 

: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with catatonia

catatonic schizophrenia

catatonic rigidity

catatonic patients

catatonically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

catatonic

2 of 2 noun

: a catatonic individual