schizophrenic

[skit-suh-fren-ik]

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!

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a person with schizophrenia.

   Schizophrenics are often unable to focus on certain objects.

Word History and Origins

Origin of schizophrenic¹

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

Example Sentences

Certain parallels between then and now have helped inspire what Grisanti described as “schizophrenic” thinking among professional money managers.

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While initially convicted of first-degree murder in Worden’s death, he was eventually declared not guilty by reason of insanity — diagnosed as schizophrenic — and was institutionalized until his death due to complications from cancer in 1984.

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Zarutska’s suspected killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., is a homeless man with a long criminal record and is a paranoid schizophrenic, according to his family.

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As do so many schizophrenics, Ayers-Moore says, her brother would improve with medication but then refuse to take it and slip back into his tortured world.

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The musician was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 1984, according to Forbes, when doctors found evidence that his brain damage was linked to his use of psychedelic drugs.

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