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. )

Example Sentences

“The baby was gray in color, emaciated, and catatonic,” according to the statement from prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times

Season 3 finds him a broken man, near catatonic with guilt.

From Los Angeles Times

My Hollywood ending was far from glamorous: me, catatonic on Nick’s couch, realizing I had given it all up for an honest-to-God psychopath.

From Los Angeles Times

The brevity is, of course, a function of Joe Biden’s catatonic debate performance, ensuing Democratic panic and the president’s overnight replacement in the shank of summer by his vice presidential understudy, Kamala Harris.

From Los Angeles Times

“Connection makes us feel safe. When we don’t, we engage in dysregulated behavior, like self-injury, which in extreme cases become catatonic.”

From Salon