basket case

noun

Definition of basket casenext
as in nervous breakdown

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of basket case Though the microbus appeared unscathed, the vehicle in reality was a basket case and in need of more than 900 replacement parts, Volkswagen of America said in a statement on its restoration. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 24 Nov. 2025 America has become a fiscal basket case, and neither party is offering any kind of serious solution for a disaster that is already contributing to brutal inflation and may one day crush the value of the dollar. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2025 His main accomplishment was to transform the country by giving us Joe Biden who then transformed the country into a basket case. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025 Over the course of their day together, Claire the princess (Ringwald), Andrew the jock (Estevez), Brian the brain (Hall), Allison the basket case (Sheedy) and John the criminal (Nelson) begin to drop their stereotypical public facades and reveal their private struggles. — Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for basket case
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basket case
  1. nervous breakdown
  2. anxiety
  3. alarm
  4. breakdown
Noun
  • As rumors grew about why Talarico was not seen in public during one of the tightest campaigns in the country, Paxton suggested that the Democratic hopeful had suffered a nervous breakdown of some kind.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This had resulted in several nervous breakdowns during my first few weeks back home.
    — Joe Manganiello, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of nervous breakdown
Noun
  • Research has also found that across generational groups, greater user tendency to engage in social comparison, together with greater maladaptive ways of coping with emotions, is associated with more symptoms of anger, anxiety, and depression.
    — Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The market for profiting off male body anxiety is nothing new.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Governors and communities in both parties are raising the alarm.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Some recent studies have highlighted addiction problems, and some organizations have raised alarm bells that the rise in youth gambling is a public health crisis, which has motivated policymakers to propose legislation to regulate sports betting.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of alarm
Noun
  • The breakdown Organic revenues for Prada Group — parent company to Prada, Church’s, Miu Miu, and Versace — rose 1% year-on-year on a constant currency basis in the third quarter of 2026.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Somewhere, there was a breakdown in communication on Wednesday following the firing of Locksley.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of breakdown

Browse Nearby Words

basket
basket case
basket cases
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Cite this Entry

“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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