manic-depressive

[man-ik-di-pres-iv]

adjective

1. having or experiencing bipolar disorder.

noun

1. a person with this disorder.

manic-depressive

adjective

1. denoting a mental disorder characterized either by an alternation between extreme euphoria and deep depression (bipolar manic-depressive disorder or syndrome) or by depression on its own or (rarely) by elation on its own (unipolar disorder)

noun

1. a person afflicted with this disorder Compare cyclothymia

Word History and Origins

Origin of manic-depressive¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Related Words

• demented 
• insane 
• mad 
• unhinged