battle fatigue

American  

[bat-l fuh-teeg] / ˈbæt l fəˌtig /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a post-traumatic stress disorder occurring among soldiers engaged in active combat, characterized by excessive autonomic arousal, psychic numbing, and persistent reliving of traumatic experiences.

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battle fatigue British  

noun

1. Also called: combat fatigue.  psychol a type of mental disorder, characterized by anxiety, depression, and loss of motivation, caused by the stress of active warfare See also shell shock

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• battle-fatigued
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of battle fatigue

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Shell shock went by other names in later wars, such as battle fatigue and, today, post-traumatic stress disorder.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

“The members had battle fatigue or something, I guess,” Green told a reporter in 1970.

From Slate • Dec. 21, 2021

Among doctors and nurses, a sense of battle fatigue has set in.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2020

The battle fatigue that I have described in hospital staff is also apparent among the general public.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2020

But his advantage was the Army doctors who told her and Robert that the cause of battle fatigue was a mystery, even to them.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko