bipolar disorder

noun

: any of several psychological disorders of mood characterized usually by alternating episodes of depression and mania

called also bipolar illness, manic depression

Examples of bipolar disorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Taylor was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while at Psyclarity. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 July 2025

The platform also supports people dealing with depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder. —Rhiannon Frater, USA Today, 30 June 2025

Sadeghi said that his company's report on schizophrenia risk for embryos noted that the condition is linked to both bipolar disorder, as well as intelligence, and that ADHD, OCD, Alzheimer's disease and autism were also linked to intelligence. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

Some cases of late-life depression or bipolar disorder might actually be the earliest phase of a neurodegenerative illness — one that’s currently misdiagnosed as purely psychiatric. —Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bipolar disorder

• boarder
• border
• corder
• order
• warder
• camcorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Kids Definition

bipolar disorder

noun

: any of several psychological disorders of mood characterized by alternating episodes of depression and mania

Medical Definition

bipolar disorder

noun

: any of several mood disorders characterized usually by alternating episodes of depression and mania

Note: The mania experienced in bipolar disorder may be of the euphoric or irritable type or both.

called also bipolar affective disorder, bipolar illness, manic depression, manic-depressive illness

compare major depressive disorder