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Definitions

nervous breakdown

NOUN
mental exhaustion
Synonyms
WEAK
burnout clinical depression collapse crack-up depression emotional collapse freak out mental collapse nervous exhaustion nervous prostration neurasthenia neurosis shattered nerves

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She explained she was in financial ruin as a result of the scam, and how she "almost had a nervous breakdown".

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Act Three offers a performance at a point when nervous tension, romantic fury and artistic demoralization bring the production to a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2025

When a nervous breakdown resulted in hospitalization, the author found she could no longer read her own life.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2025

Following a nervous breakdown in 2018, he left both the seminary and the conversion therapy group.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2024

“Okay, she was having a nervous breakdown, but how could she leave me behind like that?”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd