basket case

noun

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Examples: basket case in a Sentence

Definition of basket case

1 : a person who has all four limbs amputated

2 : a person who is mentally incapacitated or worn out (as from nervous tension); also : one that is not functioning well or is in a run-down condition

an economic basket case

See basket case defined for English-language learners

Examples of basket case in a Sentence

I was so worried about losing my job that I was a complete basket case.
a business that was once very successful but is now a financial basket case

Recent Examples of basket case from the Web

This brain-dead basket case suggested kidnapping and assaulting Donald Trump's child.

— Fox News, "Gutfeld: Trump is succeeding and it's the media's nightmare," 24 June 2018
Venezuela, once among the hemisphere’s richest countries and boasting the world’s largest crude reserves, has turned into the regional basket case.

— jim wyss and cody weddle, miamiherald, "Venezuela's Maduro aims to turn empty stomachs into full ballot boxes | Miami Herald," 16 May 2018
Italy is the third-largest economy in the eurozone, well integrated into the broader continental economy, and far less of an economic basket case than Greece, so Italians have more to lose in the event of such an upheaval.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "Italy’s Political Crisis Is Rattling Europe. Here’s What You Need to Know.," 30 May 2018
And there are plenty of replacements for a word like basket case, another good one to consider avoiding.

— katy steinmetz, Time, "Avoiding Phrases With Unseemly Origins Is More Complicated Than You Might Think," 26 Apr. 2018
The next 12 months will decide whether Sunderland are indeed the basket case to which they have been portrayed, or made of similar ilk to the Rokermen who inspired years of relative success 31 years ago.

— SI.com, "FanView: What Sunderland Must Address to Emulate the Rokermen of 1988 Following Relegation," 23 Apr. 2018
France is an economic basket case, its savior, Mr. Macron, plunging in the polls.

— josef joffe, WSJ, "Germany’s Boring Election Is Nothing to Snore At," 10 Sep. 2017
Not even close to an economic basket case among them.

— WSJ, "Many Countries Really Are True Believers in Free Trade," 21 Mar. 2018
Europe, long the basket case of the world economy, is now a leader in expansion.

— peter s. goodman, New York Times, "Populism Is Waning, Which Is Reason to Party in Davos," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basket case.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of basket case

1919

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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BASKET CASE Defined for English Language Learners

basket case

noun

Definition of basket case for English Language Learners

: a person who is very nervous, tired, etc., and is not able to think or act normally
: something (such as a company or a government) that is in very bad condition and close to failure