schizophrenic

American  

[skit-suh-fren-ik] / ˌskɪt səˈfrɛn ɪk /

adjective

1. Psychiatry. of or relating to schizophrenia.

   Not all of these patients are schizophrenic.

2. of or relating to conflicting or inconsistent elements; characterized by unusual disparity.

   It wavers from comedy to thriller to docudrama—a totally schizophrenic plot!

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noun

Psychiatry.

1. a person with schizophrenia.

   Schizophrenics are often unable to focus on certain objects.

schizophrenic British  

/ ˌskɪtsəʊˈfrɛnɪk /

adjective

1. exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia

2. informal experiencing or maintaining contradictory attitudes, emotions, etc

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noun

1. a schizophrenic person

Usage

It is preferable to refer to a person as someone with a diagnosis of schizophrenia rather than as a schizophrenic . The general use of the word to mean 'contradictory' is also best avoided. Suitable alternatives are contradictory , inconsistent , incoherent

Etymology

Origin of schizophrenic

First recorded in 1910–15; schizophren(ia) ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )

Explanation

If you are schizophrenic, you suffer from a mental disorder that includes auditory hallucinations and paranoid behavior. Schizophrenics used to be thought to have "split personalities," and the roots of the word attests to that early understanding. The word schizophrenia combines the Greek skhizein, "split," and phren, "mind." Now, the disease is understood differently, but schizophrenic is still sometimes used to refer to anything that changes erratically. A movie that's alternately enthralling and boring might be said to be schizophrenic in its pacing.

Example Sentences

Schizophrenic people, autistic people and depressed people may show remorse unusually or not at all, even if they are remorseful.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2022

They were continuously touring, pretty much the "Schizophrenic" stuff.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2018

Schizophrenic patients like Brandon are believed to have a defect in this circuit.

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2016

If Run DMC’s “King Of Rock” had been called “King Of Schizophrenic Bombast,” it might have sounded like Death Grips.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2014

Schizophrenic patients are reported to have a special odor to their sweat, traced to trans-3- methylhexanoic acid.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas