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catatonia

American  
[kat-uh-toh-nee-uh, -tohn-yuh] / ˌkæt əˈtoʊ ni ə, -ˈtoʊn yə /

noun

Psychiatry.
  1. a syndrome seen most frequently in schizophrenia, characterized by muscular rigidity and mental stupor, sometimes alternating with great excitement and confusion.


catatonia British  
/ ˌkætəˈtəʊnɪə, ˌkætəˈtɒnɪk /

noun

  1. a state of muscular rigidity and stupor, sometimes found in schizophrenia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of catatonia

First recorded in 1915–20; cata- + -tonia

Vocabulary lists containing catatonia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Seeing that stark difference led Meduna to theorize that glial cells could have something to do with mental health, and that a seizure might help ease schizophrenic symptoms, including catatonia.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2023

Some families seem to sink into a catatonia that he knows means he should give them space.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 19, 2021

Some experts championed shock therapy, others called for institutionalization; some psychotherapists saw madness as a metaphor and some doctors prescribed catatonia by tranquilizers.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2020

That’s what director-choreographer Josh Rhodes and Co. managed to do at the Kennedy Center, with this smashing revival-in-concert of the hallucinogenic story of a boy who goes from catatonia to superstardom.

From Washington Post • Dec. 9, 2019

That was the deal basically: catatonia without; frenzy within.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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