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schizophrenia

[ skit-suh-free-nee-uh, -freen-yuh ]
/ ˌskÉȘt səˈfri ni ə, -ˈfrin yə /
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See synonyms for: schizophrenia / schizophrenic on Thesaurus.com

noun
Psychiatry.Also called dementia praecox. a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.
a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.

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Origin of schizophrenia

First recorded in 1910–15; schizo- + -phrenia

OTHER WORDS FROM schizophrenia

schiz·o·phren·ic [skit-suh-fren-ik], /ˌskÉȘt səˈfrɛn ÉȘk/, adjective, nounnon·schiz·o·phren·ic, adjectiveun·schiz·o·phren·ic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH schizophrenia

neurotic, psychotic, schizoid, schizophrenic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use schizophrenia in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for schizophrenia

schizophrenia
/ (ˌskÉȘtsəʊˈfriːnÉȘə) /

noun
any of a group of psychotic disorders characterized by progressive deterioration of the personality, withdrawal from reality, hallucinations, delusions, social apathy, emotional instability, etcSee catatonia, hebephrenia, paranoia
informal behaviour that appears to be motivated by contradictory or conflicting principles

Word Origin for schizophrenia

C20: from schizo- + Greek phrēn mind + -ia
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

Scientific definitions for schizophrenia

schizophrenia
[ skÄ­tâ€Čsə-frēâ€Čnē-ə, skÄ­tâ€Čsə- ]

Any of a group of psychiatric disorders characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, hallucinations, and psychotic behavior. Schizophrenia is associated with an imbalance of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain and may have an underlying genetic cause.
The American HeritageŸ Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for schizophrenia

schizophrenia
[ (skit-suh-free-nee-uh, skit-suh-fren-ee-uh) ]

A form of psychosis marked by a strong tendency to dissociate oneself from reality. Schizophrenia is often characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and inappropriate reactions to situations. The word schizophrenia is often used informally as well as scientifically to indicate a split personality.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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