as in nervous breakdown
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
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
-
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
-
Incoming college freshmen are easy targets for people looking to profit from anxiety about loneliness, which the former US Surgeon General called an epidemic.—
Mary Frances Ruskell,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Maygen says Paisley has struggled with anxiety ever since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 2 years old.—
Nicki Cox,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The use of the term caused alarm as international humanitarian law explicitly forbids armed forces from denying enemy combatants to surrender and instead killing them.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Publicly released exploit code for an effectively unpatched vulnerability that gives root access to virtually all releases of Linux is setting off alarm bells as defenders scramble to ward off severe compromises inside data centers and on personal devices.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That breakdown was not available in the CRA filings, and the foundation said the final net figures can fall between 8% and 10% of total raffle revenue.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
About Route 66 Extended Warranty Route 66 offers three extended warranty plans to financially help car owners when a mechanical breakdown occurs.—
Anna Popp,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
