schizophrenic

adjective

1. 1

   Of or relating to schizophrenia.

2. 2

   Afflicted with schizophrenia; having difficulty with perception of reality.

3. 3

   datedExhibiting more than one personality; having a wildly changeable personality.

   Schizophrenia is where two or more personalities live in the same brain. The ancients of the 20th Century actually looked upon schizophrenia as a disease! Everyone felt it was very shameful to have a schizophrenic person in the family,

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

4. 4

   datedHaving qualities that strongly conflict or are at odds.

   Höss, a man of schizophrenic sensibility, preferred gassing to shooting because he was “spared all these bloodbaths.”

   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."

   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.

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

noun

1. 1

   A person suffering from schizophrenia.

   Oh, what an extraordinary idea! I have served 11 governments in the past 30 years. If I'd believed in all their policies, [proceeds to describe contradictory policies by different parties], but above all, I would have been a stark-staring raving schizophrenic! (laugh track).

Forms

plural

schizophrenics

comparative

more schizophrenic

superlative

most schizophrenic