as in nervous breakdown
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Recent Examples of basket case
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
The Breakfast Club stars Molly Ringwald (Claire, the princess), Emilio Estevez (Andrew, the athlete), Judd Nelson (John, the criminal), Ally Sheedy (Allison, the basket case), and Anthony Michael Hall (Brian, the brain).
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2025
Communist China was a basket case under one-man rule.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for 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
The Breakfast Club stars Molly Ringwald (Claire, the princess), Emilio Estevez (Andrew, the athlete), Judd Nelson (John, the criminal), Ally Sheedy (Allison, the basket case), and Anthony Michael Hall (Brian, the brain).
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2025
Communist China was a basket case under one-man rule.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for basket case
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basket case
Noun
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As for this devastated, miserable, freaked out, walking nervous breakdown of a man?—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
25 Nov. 2025
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The 1970s were Hollywood’s nervous breakdown.—
Remy Blumenfeld,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Our cousins just over the border in Wisconsin kept up a steady stream of taunts, trash-talking the Bears and causing us all a lot of anxiety as the minutes ticked by.—
Erendira Rendon,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Experts say exercise during pregnancy and after birth can help lower anxiety, improve sleep, and boost your mood.—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Milligan officials said the fieldhouse was equipped with multiple carbon monoxide detectors that did not activate, and maintenance staff is actively investigating why the detectors did not set off alarms.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Between the time Stewart left her room — triggering a recurring series of alarms sent to Lehman’s phone and to workers inside the building — and the time Stewart’s body was found outside, almost 15 hours passed during which no efforts were made to locate her, according to state inspectors.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fungi fossils preserved in the chert contained compounds from the breakdown of chitin and glucan, key structural molecules in fungi.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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Early motorists often carried tools and spare parts, expecting breakdowns as part of the journey.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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