split personality
Americannoun
noun
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the tendency to change rapidly in mood or temperament
-
a nontechnical term for multiple personality
Etymology
Origin of split personality
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
"It's almost like we have a split personality," says Sylvia Carrillo, city manager of Bastrop, which has a growing population of more than 12,000.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025
The Captain is a split personality in other ways.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2024
Because of the derivation of the term and because it literally meant "split," people decided schizophrenia meant split personality.
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2023
Golden State developed a split personality as it proceeded in fits and starts, displaying the pride and potency that marked its dynasty years and a baffling new alter ego that seemed scattered and, frankly, mediocre.
From Washington Post • Apr. 15, 2023
“He’s got a split personality when he puts on that helmet.”
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
