schizophrenic

schizophrenic

English

Etymology

From schizophrenia +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌskɪtsəˈfɹɛnɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɛnɪk

Adjective

schizophrenic (comparative more schizophrenic, superlative most schizophrenic)

1. Of or relating to schizophrenia.
2. (of a person) Afflicted with schizophrenia; having difficulty with perception of reality.
3. (informal, deprecated) Exhibiting more than one personality; having a wildly changeable personality.
   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 220:

     The average person is afraid that such a common experience means that he is "splitting off" and becoming schizophrenic.

4. (informal) Having qualities that strongly jar or are at odds.
   • 2011, Edmund Hey, Neonatal Formulary: Drug Use in Pregnancy and the First Year of Life:

     Society currently displays a schizophrenic attitude to drug abuse. We seem to accept alcohol intake and smoking during pregnancy even though we know that these drugs can be addictive, and that regular use can affect the baby.

   • 2012, Thomas Boylan, Paschal O'Gorman, Hahn and Economic Methodology

     The neoclassical synthesis was a schizophrenic approach to economics – a way of subscribing to both Keynesian and classical analysis.

Usage notes

• The informal use of this word (confusing the condition with multiple personality disorder) is discouraged to avoid stigmatization and misunderstanding of the disorder.

Related terms

• schizo
• nonschizophrenic

Translations

of or pertaining to schizophrenia

Asturian: esquizofrénicu Belarusian: шызафрэні́чны (šyzafreníčny) Catalan: esquizofrènic Finnish: skitsofreeninen (fi), jakomielitautinen (fi) Galician: esquizofrénico Greek: σχιζοφρενικός (el) (schizofrenikós) Hungarian: skizofrén, szkizofrén Italian: schizofrenico (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: schizofren Nynorsk: schizofren Polish: schizofreniczny (pl) Portuguese: esquizofrénico (Portugal), esquizofrênico (pt) (Brazil) Russian: шизофрени́ческий (ru) (šizofreníčeskij) Spanish: esquizofrénico (es) Ukrainian: шизофрені́чний (šyzofreníčnyj)

of a person: afflicted with schizophrenia

Armenian: շիզոֆրենիկ (hy) (šizofrenik) Asturian: esquizofrénicu Catalan: esquizofrènic Chinese: Mandarin: 精神分裂症 (zh) Czech: schizofrenní (cs) Finnish: skitsofreeninen (fi), jakomielitautinen (fi) French: schizophrène (fr) Galician: esquizofrénico German: schizophren (de) Greek: σχιζοφρενής (el) (schizofrenís) Hungarian: skizofrén, szkizofrén Italian: schizofrenico (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: schizofren Nynorsk: schizofren Portuguese: esquizofrénico (Portugal), esquizofrênico (pt) (Brazil) Russian: шизофре́ник (ru) (šizofrénik) Spanish: esquizofrénico (es) Ukrainian: шизофре́ник m (šyzofrényk), шизофрені́чний (šyzofreníčnyj)

slang: behaving as if one has more than one personality

Finnish: skitsofreeninen (fi), jakomielitautinen (fi) German: schizophren (de) Hungarian: skizofrén, szkizofrén

Noun

schizophrenic (plural schizophrenics)

1. A person suffering from schizophrenia.

Translations

a person suffering from schizophrenia

Czech: schizofrenik (cs) m Finnish: skitsofreenikko (fi) French: schizophrène (fr) m German: Schizophrener (de) m, Schizophrene (de) f Greek: σχιζοφρενής (el) c (schizofrenís) Maori: tangata wairua tuakoi Portuguese: esquizofrénico m (Portugal), esquizofrênico (pt) m (Brazil) Russian: шизофре́ник (ru) m (šizofrénik), шизофрени́чка (ru) f (šizofreníčka) Spanish: esquizofrénico (es) m Ukrainian: шизофре́нік m (šyzofrénik)