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borderline personality disorder

American  
[bawr-der-lahyn pur-suh-nal-i-tee dis-awr-der] / ˈbɔr dərˌlaɪn ˌpɜr səˈnæl ɪ ti dɪsˌɔr dər /

noun

Psychiatry.
  1. a personality disorder characterized by instability in many areas, as mood, identity, self-image, and behavior, and often manifested by impulsive actions, suicide attempts, inappropriate anger, or depression. BPD


borderline personality disorder British  

noun

  1. psychiatry a mental condition on the dividing line between a psychiatric disorder and normality characterized by impulsiveness, extreme mood swings, and often aggressiveness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of borderline personality disorder

First recorded in 1975–80


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.

See Examples For:

“And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could, until she couldn’t.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

“My daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

A decade ago, narcissism was a little-discussed personality disorder, especially compared to more stigmatized diagnoses, like sociopathy or borderline personality disorder.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025

Jessica Matthews was 21 when she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2025

I culled symptoms of mono, plantar warts, shingles, borderline personality disorder and a bladder infection, as well as listing a bunch of side effects from some TV ads for drugs.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

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