ENGLISH
REFERENCE

schizophrenia

n.
US //ˌskɪtsəˈfɹiniə// UK //skˌɪtsəfɹˈiːniə// schizophre·nia
  1. 1 mental health condition (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    a serious mental illness where a person may see or hear things that are not there or have trouble thinking clearly.

    a psychiatric diagnosis involving persistent delusions, hallucinations, and impaired cognitive functioning.

    Example

    The doctor explained that schizophrenia requires long-term medical treatment and support.

    Example

    Recent clinical research suggests that early intervention in cases of schizophrenia can significantly improve long-term social and occupational outcomes for patients.

    Usage

    Usually uncountable when referring to the medical condition in general.

  2. 2 contradictory state (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Informal Literary

    a situation where two very different or opposite ideas or qualities exist at the same time.

    a state characterized by the coexistence of disparate or mutually exclusive elements; a lack of internal consistency.

    Example

    The city has a kind of schizophrenia, with modern glass towers right next to ancient ruins.

    Example

    The government's policy suffered from a certain schizophrenia, attempting to lower taxes while simultaneously promising a massive increase in public spending.

    Teacher's tip

    This figurative use is common in journalism but can be seen as insensitive by those in the medical community.
Origin

From German Schizophrenie (coined by Eugen Bleuler), from Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”) + φρήν (phrḗn, “mind, heart, diaphragm”) + English -ia. A combination of schizo- + -phrenia.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Last updated June 20, 2026