schizophrenic

English

Etymology

From schizophrenia +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

schizophrenic (comparative more schizophrenic, superlative most schizophrenic)

Of or relating to schizophrenia.
(of a person) Afflicted with schizophrenia; having difficulty with perception of reality.
(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.
(informal) Having qualities that strongly jar or are at odds.
- 1986 August 9, Christopher Wittke, “Joe Jackson: Friend or 'Phobe?”, in Gay Community News, page 6:
  That feverish response and Jackson's infamous negative attitude towards his fans contributed to a performance which was schizophrenic at best. The program was divided into three sections, distinguishable only by the fact that slide projections on the side of the stage informed us that we were now watching "Part 1, 2, or 3."
- 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.

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