nervous breakdown
noun
: an attack of mental or emotional disorder especially when of sufficient severity to require hospitalization
Examples of nervous breakdown in a Sentence
She had a nervous breakdown shortly after her sister's death.
He is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Recent Examples on the Web
Here, the Crandell mom (comedian Ms. Pat) is portrayed as an overworked, stressed out businesswoman who has a nervous breakdown when she’s passed over for a promotion at work.
—
Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
When mom has a nervous breakdown at work and goes to Thailand for a meditation retreat, Tanya Crandell (Simone Joy Jones) and her siblings find themselves in the care of a babysitter, the stern and elderly Mrs. Sturak (Oscar nominee June Squibb).
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
Broke and suffering a nervous breakdown, the title character moves in with her sister (Sally Hawkins) and blows up her life, too, affecting relationships and finally ending up with the only person who'll deal with her.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
My adult son suffered a nervous breakdown a couple of years ago.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
The part of Elena, a despot on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is a departure for Winslet, who has chosen, over the course of her career, a wide range of characters who have in common an intrinsic power.
—Susan Dominus, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
In three quick sequences, Blunt has already given us a rough sketch of who this person is: a world traveler with a lot of life experience under her belt, a bruised romantic, and a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2024
Duncan, who has experienced a nervous breakdown after traveling with Bella, objects to the wedding.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2024
Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, a neurotic 40-something who is recovering from a nervous breakdown by crashing at his brother's Hollywood Hills home while his family is on vacation.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2024
Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
When mom has a nervous breakdown at work and goes to Thailand for a meditation retreat, Tanya Crandell (Simone Joy Jones) and her siblings find themselves in the care of a babysitter, the stern and elderly Mrs. Sturak (Oscar nominee June Squibb).
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
Broke and suffering a nervous breakdown, the title character moves in with her sister (Sally Hawkins) and blows up her life, too, affecting relationships and finally ending up with the only person who'll deal with her.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
My adult son suffered a nervous breakdown a couple of years ago.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
The part of Elena, a despot on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is a departure for Winslet, who has chosen, over the course of her career, a wide range of characters who have in common an intrinsic power.
—Susan Dominus, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
In three quick sequences, Blunt has already given us a rough sketch of who this person is: a world traveler with a lot of life experience under her belt, a bruised romantic, and a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2024
Duncan, who has experienced a nervous breakdown after traveling with Bella, objects to the wedding.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2024
Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, a neurotic 40-something who is recovering from a nervous breakdown by crashing at his brother's Hollywood Hills home while his family is on vacation.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nervous breakdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Nervous breakdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervous%20breakdown. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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