nervous breakdown

noun

Definition of nervous breakdown

: an attack of mental or emotional disorder especially when of sufficient severity to require hospitalization

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Examples of nervous breakdown in a Sentence

She had a nervous breakdown shortly after her sister's death. He is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Recent Examples on the Web

From afar, the spectacle of the U.K. undergoing the national political equivalent of a nervous breakdown has been a source of head-scratching. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "The Great Brexit Breakdown," 7 Dec. 2018 After suffering a nervous breakdown, he was discharged. — Kelly Crow, WSJ, "Art Market, Hoping the Good Times Keep Rolling, Prepares for N.Y. Sales," 6 Nov. 2018 When Marie Kondo was 16 years old, the clutter in her messy bedroom drove her to a nervous breakdown. — Kate Storey, Good Housekeeping, "Marie Kondo Reveals a Nervous Breakdown Led to Her Joy Method," 5 Jan. 2016 People on the verge of a nervous breakdown go sit by this roadside river (the best stretch is in Elkmont, Tenn.) and feel a whole lot better afterward. — Kathryn O’shea-evans, WSJ, "An Insiders’ Guide to the National Parks," 12 Apr. 2018 The good doctor began feeding them to his patients, including a certain C.W. Post, a businessman recovering from his second nervous breakdown. — Richard Selden, chicagotribune.com, "Battle Creek dishes up cereal — with a side of nostalgia — at breakfast-food bash in June," 22 May 2018 His grandmother, who had suffered a nervous breakdown from incessant shelling, ended up in Britain, having been told the U.S. was not accepting refugees who were disabled physically or mentally. — Karl Vick, Time, "A Reckoning After Trump's Border Separation Policy: What Kind of Country Are We?," 21 June 2018 Several months later, after a fight with his boss, Scott reportedly has a nervous breakdown and is admitted to Ashurst Clinic. — Julie Miller, HWD, "The Secret, Real-Life Love Affair Behind A Very English Scandal," 1 July 2018 Beverly’s on the verge not of a nervous breakdown, exactly, but of resentment. — Hilton Als, The New Yorker, "With “Fairview,” Jackie Sibblies Drury Breaks the Fourth Wall," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nervous breakdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.