as in nervous breakdown
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Recent Examples of basket case
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
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
See All Example Sentences for basket case
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
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
See All Example Sentences for basket case
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basket case
Noun
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This happened years before, in such a serious way that my friend had to take a three-month medical leave of absence due to what was likely a nervous breakdown.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
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When their news anchor (Peter Finch) has a nervous breakdown on the air, suddenly their ratings turn around, bringing on a moral morass only some of them are prepared to face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Renter Mandy Feng, who prefers to use a pseudonym for fear of being seen criticizing the authorities, said the stimulus the government is offering has failed to offset people’s anxiety over an uncertain economic outlook.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
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As anyone who deals with anxiety knows, one of its chief triggers is uncertainty.—
Tom Dotan,
Vanity Fair,
17 May 2026
Noun
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And Bianco dismissed alarm among election experts who said that his moves could deepen public mistrust in the democratic process.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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Firefighters called in a second alarm based on the size of the home, which brought all Meriden fire companies to the scene, Clark said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
Noun
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According to spending breakdowns from the California Department of Education, administrative salaries account for a single‑digit share of K–12 education spending statewide.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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And that breakdown can affect facial structure.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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