as in breakdown
a mental or nervous collapse
you're going to have a nervous breakdown if you keep up that pace
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Recent Examples of nervous breakdown
Schmitt suffers a nervous breakdown after his arrogance (and Webber’s long leash on the residency program) leads to him killing a podcaster on the operating table and these two break up again.
—
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
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
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
Originally published in 1961, the novel follows Josephine, a young woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous breakdown
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
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
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
Originally published in 1961, the novel follows Josephine, a young woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous breakdown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous breakdown
breakdown
Noun
-
Three breakdowns appear repeatedly.—
Katerin Le Folcalvez,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Boston led late in the first half, but Denver capitalized on a rebounding breakdown to pull even.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nervous breakdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous%20breakdown. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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