clinical depression

American  

noun

1. Psychiatry. a depression so severe as to be considered abnormal, either because of no obvious environmental causes, or because the reaction to unfortunate life circumstances is more intense or prolonged than would generally be expected.

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Example Sentences

No objective cutoff distinguishes ordinary worry from clinical anxiety, or grief from clinical depression.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

Mr. Macmillan doesn’t lose sight of the central truths about clinical depression: that the causes are often inscrutable, its persistence can be intractable, and temporary relief often leads only to recurrence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Rather than examining clinical depression, she reflects on the gentle melancholy many can relate to.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

But with these participants with clinical depression, we actually induced them to ruminate about negative thoughts and feelings before they went on the walk.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

He was a moody, complicated man, possibly suffering from some degree of clinical depression, who found himself in possession of musical talents even he couldn’t quite come to terms with.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall