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
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Or borderline personality disorder?
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Conditions like anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder are among the most frequently diagnosed in the United States, but borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is a less common mental health condition that still impacts millions of people.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
Mental healthcare providers will likely start by determining if a person has an underlying mental health condition, such as dissociative disorder or borderline personality disorder, and address the root cause using current therapy methods.
—Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2025
The landscape painter, who has a traumatic brain injury and borderline personality disorder, moved to the city in May.
—Maryam Ahmed, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 2025
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Pat Saperstein, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Conditions like anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder are among the most frequently diagnosed in the United States, but borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is a less common mental health condition that still impacts millions of people.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
Mental healthcare providers will likely start by determining if a person has an underlying mental health condition, such as dissociative disorder or borderline personality disorder, and address the root cause using current therapy methods.
—Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2025
The landscape painter, who has a traumatic brain injury and borderline personality disorder, moved to the city in May.
—Maryam Ahmed, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 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 9 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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