nervous exhaustion
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of nervous exhaustion
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
The duchess emerged after a seven-week stay in hospital for what palace officials described at the time as "nervous exhaustion".
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025
Always high-strung, he was prone to mysterious fainting spells and periods of nervous exhaustion, which led some to question his dedication.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2024
Chastain declared, referring to an incident in 1989, when Lewis was playing Hamlet at London’s National Theatre and, citing nervous exhaustion, quit the run in mid-performance, never to act onstage again.
From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023
For voters, it’s a recipe for nervous exhaustion.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2017
Dr. Max Nordau's works afford a well-known example of this line of protest against the present age as an age of overwork and of nervous exhaustion.
From Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death by Myers, F. W. H. (Frederic William Henry)
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.
