punch-drunk syndrome

noun

: chronic traumatic encephalopathy

The most important factor in the development of the punch-drunk syndrome seems to be time spent in the ring getting punched in the head.

—David Noonan

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

By the fifties, punch-drunk syndrome was being described as dementia pugilistica and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. —Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

punch-drunk syndrome

noun

: chronic traumatic encephalopathy

The most important factor in the development of the punch-drunk syndrome seems to be time spent in the ring getting punched in the head.

—David Noonan, The New York Times Magazine