catatonic

American  

[kat-uh-ton-ik] / ˌkæt əˈtɒn ɪk /

adjective

1. having catatonia, a syndrome characterized by muscular rigidity and mental stupor.

   The schizophrenic remained in a catatonic state.

2. appearing to be in a daze or stupor; unresponsive.

   She had the catatonic expression of an avant-garde model.

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noun

1. a person having or experiencing catatonia.

Other Word Forms

• catatonically
  adverb

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.