comatose
/ˈkoʊ.məˌtoʊs/adjective, verb
comatose is spelled C-O-M-A-T-O-S-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, comatose means “In a coma: unconscious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in comatose?
| Letters | 8: C-O-M-A-T-O-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is comatose?
Comatose appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce comatose?
- UK /ˈkəʊ.məˌtoʊs/
- UK /ˈkɒm.əˌtəʊs/
- US /ˈkoʊ.məˌtoʊs/
Comatose has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-comatose.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of comatose
- more comatose comparative
- most comatose superlative
- comatoses present, singular, he/she/it
- comatosing participle, present
- comatosed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does comatose mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
In a coma: unconscious.
the patient was comatose for 2 weeks before finally passing away.
- 2
informalDrowsy or lethargic.
- 3
informalFast asleep.
She was lying comatose on the sofa.
verb
- 1
colloquialnonstandardrareTo make comatose; to send into, or as if into, a coma.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Comatose in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense resembling a coma:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does comatose come from?
Perhaps from French comateux, or from Ancient Greek κῶμα (kôma, “deep sleep”) (genitive κώματος (kṓmatos)). Equivalent to coma + -ose (“full of”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).