mental illness
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mental illness
First recorded in 1960–65
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.
Many wished for strength to combat physical or mental illness.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The result can be heard in songs like the hard-driving “Is It Real?” in which Hollywell roars about mental illness and divine intervention, while Santos coats it all in steel honey.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
Its hero, Wilbur Budd, is grappling not with mental illness, as Nora was, but with grief and missed opportunities.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
Maddock and Smucny have long studied how brain chemistry is connected to mental illness using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, also known as 1H-MRS.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
Well, it also took some degree of mental illness, too, but I was suddenly happy for her.
From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.