as in nervous breakdown
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Recent Examples of basket case
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
Venezuela, another socialist basket case, slips to the second-most-miserable country in the world after six years in the pole position.
—Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 16 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for basket case
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
Venezuela, another socialist basket case, slips to the second-most-miserable country in the world after six years in the pole position.
—Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 16 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for basket case
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basket case
Noun
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That character is Mike Tyler (Chris Evans), a Hollywood star recovering from a recent nervous breakdown and attending a garish eco-friendly charity party for the super-super-rich that’s being held in a fantastically austere Greek mine.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
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One powerful scene in episode 2 shows Knox having a nervous breakdown when she is taken back to the scene of the crime and asked to open the knife drawer in the kitchen to determine if any are missing in an effort to locate the murder weapon.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Add in the possibility of more extensive – and costly – work such as bridges, crowns, extractions or implants, and the anxiety can grow even stronger.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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The enthusiasm around personal curriculums and independent learning might reflect modern-day anxieties.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Here, the lining cells sense an invader and release alarms, chemical signals that draw in immune cells and generate oxidative stress.—
Bill Frist,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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With Kennedy at the helm of HHS, major medical organizations have expressed extreme alarm about restrictions to COVID-19 vaccines that have already taken place and warned of potential further restrictions to routine childhood vaccines.—
Sony Salzman,
ABC News,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Premiering September 18, the weekly series will feature cast interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and expert breakdowns of each episode's performances.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, the demographic breakdown of these ChatGPT users had shifted, with the chatbot slowly becoming more universal across genders and national borders.—
Dylan Butts,Shreya Ghosal,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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