noun
schizophrenia
skiht-suh-FREE-nee-uh
noun
1
A serious, long-term mental illness marked by disrupted thinking, false beliefs, and a distorted sense of reality.
"He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his early twenties and now manages it with medication."
2
Loosely, any situation where sharply conflicting attitudes or behaviors exist side by side.
"Critics pointed to a kind of schizophrenia in the company's messaging — one ad promised luxury, the next promised bargains."
How to Use Schizophrenia
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA serious mental illness that affects how a person thinks, perceives reality, and behaves.
Common mistake
Schizophrenia is not the same as having "multiple personalities" (that condition is called dissociative identity disorder) — this is one of the most common misconceptions about the word.
Word Forms
schizophrenias plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “schizophrenia”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He was diagnosed with _____ in his early twenties and now manages it with medication.
Etymology
Coined in German by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler from Greek skhizein ("to split") and phrēn ("mind"). It does not mean "split personality" — that's a common misunderstanding.