schizoid
adjective
schiz·oid
| \ ˈskit-ˌsȯid
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Definition of schizoid
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: having mutually contradictory or antagonistic parts : changing frequently between opposite states
… the show deftly exposes the schizoid personality of the decade, which moved from conservatism to pop-culture hedonism in the batting of a false eyelash.— John Duka It's not her fault that the character … seems more than a little schizoid—one minute acting like a confirmed colonialist, the next spouting stirring multiculturalist speeches.— David Ansen
2 psychology
a
: of, relating to, or having a personality characterized especially by emotional and social detachment, indifference, and lack of affect : affected by schizoid personality disorder
It is crucial that those involved in the care of the schizoid patient are able to accept the patient's lack of communication and need to withdraw, without resigning from treatment.— Birgitte Thylstrup and Morten Hesse
b
: characterized by, resulting from, tending toward, or suggestive of schizophrenia
That he is now free of schizoid symptoms, and that his personality survived intact without benefit of psychiatric care, make this book a testimonial against the "medical model" of schizophrenia that declares it an incurable disease.— Scott Vickers
schizoid
noun
plural schizoids
Definition of schizoid (Entry 2 of 2)
: a person affected with schizoid personality disorder
… extreme schizoids seem impervious to all emotion—even anger, depression, and anxiety—not just to joy and pleasure.— Theodore Millon et al.
Examples of schizoid in a Sentence
Adjective
With his schizoid nature, you never know whether he will disagree or agree with you.Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
At Fields’ state trial, a psychologist who reviewed thousands of pages of his school and mental-health records testified that Fields was found to be suffering from bipolar disorder and schizoid personality disorder as a child. — Paul Duggan, BostonGlobe.com, "Avowed neo-Nazi in Charlottesville car attack sentenced to life in prison for federal hate crimes," 28 June 2019 At Fields’s state trial, a psychologist who reviewed thousands of pages of his school and mental-health records testified that Fields was found to be suffering from bipolar disorder and schizoid personality disorder as a child. — Paul Duggan, Washington Post, "Neo-Nazi in Charlottesville car attack to be sentenced for federal hate crimes," 28 June 2019 During Fields' state trial, a psychologist testified for the defense that Fields had inexplicable volatile outbursts as a young child, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 6 and was later diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. — CBS News, "White supremacist gets life in prison for deadly Charlottesville car attack," 28 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'schizoid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for schizoid
schizoid
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of schizoid
technical
: relating to or having schizophrenia
: changing frequently between opposite states
See the full definition for schizoid in the English Language Learners Dictionary
schizoid
adjective
schiz·oid
| \ ˈskit-ˌsȯid
\
\
Medical Definition of schizoid
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, having, or being a personality characterized especially by emotional and social detachment, indifference, and lack of affect : affected by schizoid personality disorder
schizoid personalities It is crucial that those involved in the care of the schizoid patient are able to accept the patient's lack of communication and need to withdraw …— Birgitte Thylstrup and Morten Hesse
2
: characterized by, resulting from, tending toward, or suggestive of schizophrenia
schizoid behavior
schizoid
nounMedical Definition of schizoid (Entry 2 of 2)
: a person affected with schizoid personality disorder
… extreme schizoids seem impervious to all emotion—even anger, depression, and anxiety—not just to joy and pleasure.— Theodore Millon et al.