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nervous breakdown
noun
: an attack of mental or emotional disorder especially when of sufficient severity to require hospitalization
Examples of nervous breakdown in a Sentence
She had a nervous breakdown shortly after her sister's death.
He is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s pitched right in the actor’s sweet spot, between acerbic wit and rapidly approaching a nervous breakdown.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2024
This woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown is running the line like the Navy.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
This is not one of those melodramatic movies where the mother has a nervous breakdown after the husband, unable to handle the pressure of kids, takes off with his personal assistant.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024
With The Coin, Zaher creates a hypnotic portrait of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for nervous breakdown
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nervous breakdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1866, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of nervous breakdown was
in 1866
Dictionary Entries Near nervous breakdown
Cite this Entry
“Nervous breakdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervous%20breakdown. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
nervous breakdown
noun
: an attack of mental or emotional disorder that is severe enough to require hospitalization
Medical Definition
nervous breakdown
noun
: an attack of mental or emotional disorder especially when of sufficient severity to require hospitalization
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