catatonic
Americanadjective
-
having catatonia, a syndrome characterized by muscular rigidity and mental stupor.
The schizophrenic remained in a catatonic state.
-
appearing to be in a daze or stupor; unresponsive.
She had the catatonic expression of an avant-garde model.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of catatonic
First recorded in 1905–10; cataton(ia) ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )
Explanation
Use the adjective catatonic to describe someone who is in an unresponsive stupor, as if suffering from a mental disorder. Sometimes in the summer it gets so hot that people lose all their energy and get catatonic. Catatonic can also be used to describe something that is related to psychiatric problems. Catatonic schizophrenia, for example, has symptoms that can include physical immobility, unresponsiveness, or strange movements. The weird thing about the word catatonic is that it can either mean not moving at all or moving in a frenzy — or it can mean having totally rigid muscles or having totally relaxed muscles.
Vocabulary lists containing catatonic
Break It Down: Cata
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Refugee
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Dear Martin
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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.
"This experience has left Morrissey in a catatonic state."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
And besides, as David Hill of Rolling Stone notes, American sports—which naturally lend themselves to micro-betting with their long pauses and occasionally catatonic pace—were founded to enable wagering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
Shiv — who has to be retrieved from the party one deck below — is practically catatonic when she finds out why she has been summoned.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2023
The day I was set to leave, she sat on the couch, catatonic, unwilling to speak to me or even look in my direction.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2022
The twins were near catatonic when the server finally brought the check, pausing momentarily as if he had just realized they were a table full of kids.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
