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

Benard — who opened up about his depression in a 2020 interview with PEOPLE and in his memoir, Nothing General About It — has previously shared that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 22. —Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025

Program makers Blink Films said test results placed Hitler in the top one percent for genetic predisposition to autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, though experts involved stressed that polygenic risk scores are not diagnostic and cannot be linked to specific behaviors. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Nov. 2025

Madison had bipolar disorder and was not always keen on taking her medication. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025

Lean also refuted claims that bipolar disorder stifles creativity. —Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 6 Nov. 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