stereotypy

American  

[ster-ee-uh-tahy-pee, steer-] / ˈstɛr i əˌtaɪ pi, ˈstɪər- /

noun

1. the stereotype process.

2. Also called stereotyped behavior.  Psychiatry. persistent mechanical repetition of speech or movement, sometimes occurring as a symptom of schizophrenia, autism, or other mental disorder.

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stereotypy British  

/ ˈstɪər-, ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪpɪ /

noun

1. the act or process of making stereotype printing plates

2. a tendency to think or act in rigid, repetitive, and often meaningless patterns

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Etymology

Origin of stereotypy

First recorded in 1860–65; stereotype + -y ³

Example Sentences

At first blush, such spinning might look like a stereotypy, a repeated movement that some animals make when bored.

From Scientific American • Mar. 28, 2023

For example, one macaque developed "severe behavioural problems" including "stereotypy" - repetitive nervous actions such as rocking - and had to be "euthanised".

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2014

Virga knew that he wasn’t likely to cure her — she had been prone to stereotypy and anxiety throughout her life.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2014

Farts lack the structural stereotypy of laughs, coughs, sneezes, and hiccups, and their duration is determined by the highly variable supply of available gas.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2012

Perseveration; some stereotypy; sound reactions; unclassified reactions many of which are probably due to distraction.

From A Study of Association in Insanity by Kent, Grace Helen