Synonyms

nervous breakdown

American

noun

(not in technical use) any disabling mental disorder requiring treatment.

nervous breakdown British

noun

any mental illness not primarily of organic origin in which the patient ceases to function properly, often accompanied by severely impaired concentration, anxiety, insomnia, and lack of self-esteem; used esp of episodes of depression

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nervous breakdown

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Watching Rowdy bouncing up and down on the porch, Grandpa said, “He seems to know where the meat rinds are, all right. Maybe we’d better get him one before he has a nervous breakdown.”

From Literature

"And for goodness sake, stop twitching! You look like you're having a nervous breakdown."

From Literature

It’s the closest O’Hara gets to playing the straight man, if a straight man was a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times

The court heard details of the defendant's mental health issues, including a nervous breakdown in the 1990s.

From BBC

In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023