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Glite Dictionary
catatonia

catatonia

3 9.9
A person who does not move or respond and becomes very stiff, often during a serious mental illness
  • noun
  • /ˌkætəˈtoʊniə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : catatonia
  • The patient was completely unresponsive and remained in a state of catatonia during the entire evaluation.
  • state of catatonia

Examples

  • After experiencing severe trauma, she fell into catatonia, unable to interact with anyone around her.

  • The three women tried to arouse Pang from his catatonia by making loud noises, shaking him, and splashing water on his face.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • And then you basically went into a state of catatonia.

    Gothika (2003)

  • But to fight catatonia, I stood up and walked to the alley, then cut east toward town.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She came out of her catatonia the same day we found the doll.

    Longlegs (2024)

  • He drifted in and out of catatonia.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • She's wide-eyed, staring straight ahead in a state of near catatonia.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Catatonia is a complex neuromotor disorder that is not well-studied, partly because of its relative rarity.

    Blog text (25)

  • His prolonged catatonia made it difficult for doctors to assess his mental health properly.

Synonyms

trance-like state
vscatatonia
2 6.8

A deep daze when a person is unaware of what is happening

is a clinical immobile state marked by rigidity and sustained unresponsiveness
catalepsy
vscatatonia
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A state when a person looks awake but cannot move or respond

is a broader psychiatric state that includes abnormal rigidity and immobility

How Unresponsive

coma
  • Specialized
259 5.4
catatonia
  • Specialized
3 9.9
stupor
  • Specialized
17 7.7
dazed
40 4.8

Surface Forms

catatonia singular
catatonias plural

Morphology

catatonia = cata + tonia

The components 'cata' and 'tonia' are not recognizable English morphemes, and the meaning of 'catatonia' is not derivable from its parts without specialized knowledge.

Etymology

Catatonia comes from Greek parts kata- 'down' and tonos 'tension', and the second part is the same root as the English word tone. So, catatonia is like a 'down' state of low muscle tone or activity, which is why a person can become very still and unresponsive.