borderline personality disorder
noun
: a personality disorder that is marked by unstable, intense emotions and mood with symptoms including instability in interpersonal relationships and self-image, fear of abandonment, and impulsive or unpredictable behavior and that has an onset during adolescence or early adulthood
Like others with borderline personality disorder, she had intense and unstable relationships with people that veered from adoration to intense hatred and jealousy the moment she felt the merest slight.—
Richard A. Friedman
Richard A. FriedmanBorderline personality disorder afflicts an estimated 1.3 percent of U.S. adults.—Bruce Bower
—abbreviation BPD
Bruce BowerExamples of borderline personality disorder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, told investigators her former husband had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was homeless at the time of his disappearance.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Dorn told police that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety and depression, but had not taken his medications for about four months, court documents said.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Butler hypothesized that Brodak suffered from borderline personality disorder, despite Brodak having never received a formal diagnosis.
—Sarah Adler
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Or borderline personality disorder?
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline personality disorder
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Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Dorn told police that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety and depression, but had not taken his medications for about four months, court documents said.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Butler hypothesized that Brodak suffered from borderline personality disorder, despite Brodak having never received a formal diagnosis.
—Sarah Adler
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Or borderline personality disorder?
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline personality disorder
Cite this Entry
“Borderline personality disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borderline%20personality%20disorder. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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borderline personality disorder
noun
: a personality disorder that is marked by unstable, intense emotions and mood with symptoms including instability in interpersonal relationships and self-image, fear of abandonment, and impulsive or unpredictable behavior and that has an onset during adolescence or early adulthood
Borderline personality disorder afflicts an estimated 1.3 percent of U.S. adults.—Bruce Bower
—abbreviation BPD
Bruce BowerLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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