major depressive disorder
noun
: a serious mood disorder involving one or more episodes of intense psychological depression or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two or more weeks and is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal tendencies : clinical depression, major depression
About 18 million Americans are diagnosed with a major depressive disorder each year.—
David Schwab
David SchwabThe most serious form of depression is major depressive disorder, characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in appetite, increased or decreased sleep, increased or decreased motor activity, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating and, for some people, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.—Sandi Lloyd
—abbreviation MDD
Sandi LloydExamples of major depressive disorder in a Sentence
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News, Jace was diagnosed with several mental health disorders, including ADHD, major depressive disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.
—Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Researchers behind the latest science studied 90 participants with major depressive disorder and found lower LDAEP measures (which means higher serotonin levels) predicted orgasmic dysfunction from eight weeks of treatment with escitalopram with 87% accuracy.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Consumption of soft drinks may be linked to a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), along with more severe symptoms, most notably in women, a study has found.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Thames admitted that the diagnosis had never been formally made before, with prior records listing major depressive disorder.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
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Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Researchers behind the latest science studied 90 participants with major depressive disorder and found lower LDAEP measures (which means higher serotonin levels) predicted orgasmic dysfunction from eight weeks of treatment with escitalopram with 87% accuracy.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Consumption of soft drinks may be linked to a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), along with more severe symptoms, most notably in women, a study has found.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Thames admitted that the diagnosis had never been formally made before, with prior records listing major depressive disorder.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for major depressive disorder
Cite this Entry
“Major depressive disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/major%20depressive%20disorder. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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major depressive disorder
noun
: a serious mood disorder involving one or more episodes of intense psychological depression or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two or more weeks and is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal tendencies : clinical depression, major depression
The diagnosis of both major depressive disorder and subsyndromal symptoms is complicated by difficulties that elderly patients may have in recognizing or describing depressive symptoms.—Lawrence M. Martin et al., The John Hopkins White Papers
—abbreviation MDD
Lawrence M. Martin et al., The John Hopkins White PapersLove words? Need even more definitions?
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