catatonia

noun

cat·​a·​to·​nia ˌka-tə-ˈtō-nē-ə How to pronounce catatonia (audio)
: a psychomotor disturbance that may involve muscle rigidity, stupor or mutism, purposeless movements, negativism, echolalia, and inappropriate or unusual posturing and is associated with various medical conditions (such as schizophrenia and mood disorders)

Examples of catatonia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To the show’s not-really-defense, it’s never taken a strong stance on Jimmy’s new approach, which followed a year of catatonia, debauchery and pawning his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) off on their neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) to surrogate parent. — Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024 Annihilation perches on the edges: poverty, genocide, catatonia, addiction. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 22 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from German Katatonie, from kata- cata- + New Latin -tonia

First Known Use

circa 1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of catatonia was circa 1891

Rhymes for catatonia

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Cite this Entry

“Catatonia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catatonia. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Medical Definition

catatonia

noun
cata·​to·​nia ˌkat-ə-ˈtō-nē-ə How to pronounce catatonia (audio)
: a marked psychomotor disturbance that may involve stupor or mutism, negativism, rigidity, purposeless excitement, echolalia, echopraxia, and inappropriate or bizarre posturing and is associated with various medical conditions (such as schizophrenia, Huntington's disease, or Wilson's disease)

More from Merriam-Webster on catatonia

Nglish: Translation of catatonia for Spanish Speakers

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