as in nervous breakdown
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Recent Examples of basket case
Sri Lanka is an international basket case whose foreign reserves — which once stood at over $6 billion under the Rajapaksas — have dwindled to almost nothing.
—
New York Times, 29 May 2022
Naím was once, in a happier day, the finance minister of Venezuela, and Hugo Chávez, who took a troubled but essentially prosperous country with a long democratic tradition and turned it into an international basket case, comes in for close study.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
When China was an economic basket case, 100 miles of ocean was more than enough deterrent.
—Roger Wicker, WSJ, 4 May 2022
The village was literally a basket case, bereft of water, food and all hope.
—Steve West, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for basket case
New York Times, 29 May 2022
Naím was once, in a happier day, the finance minister of Venezuela, and Hugo Chávez, who took a troubled but essentially prosperous country with a long democratic tradition and turned it into an international basket case, comes in for close study.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
When China was an economic basket case, 100 miles of ocean was more than enough deterrent.
—Roger Wicker, WSJ, 4 May 2022
The village was literally a basket case, bereft of water, food and all hope.
—Steve West, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for basket case
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basket case
Noun
-
Lane is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Boy Brian Wilson’s attempts to complete the album Smile in the aftermath of a nervous breakdown while dealing with schizophrenia.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That driving tension and anxiety are largely thanks to the team of artisans, which included composer Volker Bertelmann, editor Kirk Baxter and sound designer Paul Ottosson, who worked closely behind the scenes on their respective crafts to bring it together.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
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That sense of anxiety is present throughout the book, most vividly in a wide shot of a group of cheerleaders rehearsing in a gym.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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During the president’s first term in office, his officials raised alarms about Beijing’s growing technological prowess, its military buildup, and its dominance over the critical minerals industry.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Doctors and researchers are increasingly sounding the alarm about the health risks of toxic fumes on aircraft.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The couple face another breakdown when their daughter, Sofia, gets taken into Child Services, which has been quietly monitoring the couple.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Barnes said the case illustrates a breakdown within the broader criminal justice process.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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