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
Do not let despair or doom and gloom put you into a catatonic funk.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
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
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
Popular on Variety But a series of mysterious occurrences here and elsewhere in New England — the disappearances of children who later turn up, physically intact yet near-catatonic — grows more immediate once Ben gets pulled under during a night swim.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for catatonic
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
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
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
Popular on Variety But a series of mysterious occurrences here and elsewhere in New England — the disappearances of children who later turn up, physically intact yet near-catatonic — grows more immediate once Ben gets pulled under during a night swim.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for catatonic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catatonic
Adjective
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Above her headboard, a small square painting floats on a blank wall like a postage stamp, recalling a cross above the bed.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
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In 2022 and 2024, there were similar blank stretches, but both seasons ended with major wallops to Florida — Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The missions led to several breakthroughs, including a motionless lane-switch mechanism, a safer magnetic levitation system, and improved structural resilience.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
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Small panfish and bream float stunned and motionless in the five feet or so of zapped lake around the boat, but the target eels do not seem as susceptible in the marshy edges that are lined with brush.—
Wesley Bruer,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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DeSantis appointed his former Chief of Staff James Uthmeier to the vacant attorney general post in February, giving him an incumbent-like advantage for the 2026 election even though voters did not pick him for the job.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Even Roosevelt, the city’s most cherished school, has been vacant since 2019 and fallen into disrepair.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catatonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catatonic. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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