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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• battle-fatigued
  adjective

---

Etymology

Origin of battle fatigue

First recorded in 1940–45

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

battle fatigue

To that point, racial battle fatigue has been shown to lead to premature aging through epigenetic processes.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2025

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

The way she sees it, those who came before her — those who called it shell shock and battle fatigue — made it OK for her to seek help.

From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2021

They called it battle fatigue, and they said hallucinations were common with malarial fever.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---