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 …—
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 suit says Carrier, who had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, was particularly susceptible to the design choices, which prioritized engagement over safety.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 11 June 2026
People with borderline personality disorder often feel other people’s emotions so deeply that those feelings become indistinguishable from their own.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 11 June 2026
Firpi concluded that Saenz should receive dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, an intensive therapy originally developed for self-harming women with borderline personality disorder that is now also used to treat PTSD, eating disorders and substance use.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
During the episode, KJ became emotional while sharing that he had been hospitalized for self-harm and later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
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Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 11 June 2026
People with borderline personality disorder often feel other people’s emotions so deeply that those feelings become indistinguishable from their own.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 11 June 2026
Firpi concluded that Saenz should receive dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, an intensive therapy originally developed for self-harming women with borderline personality disorder that is now also used to treat PTSD, eating disorders and substance use.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
During the episode, KJ became emotional while sharing that he had been hospitalized for self-harm and later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
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 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
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
