manic-depressive

American  

[man-ik-di-pres-iv] / ˈmæn ɪk dɪˈprɛs ɪv /

adjective

1. having or experiencing bipolar disorder.

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noun

1. a person with this disorder.

manic-depressive British  

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)

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noun

1. a person afflicted with this disorder Compare cyclothymia

Etymology

Origin of manic-depressive

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Much has changed since Tiberius and John Law and Jefferson Davis, but not the manic-depressive nature of speculative markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

I know only that my mother, while still in fourth grade, watched Tomoyo go through a manic-depressive episode.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2023

Violaine was 10 at the time of that crash; her mother, subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed as manic-depressive, was 42.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2021

Each of the manic-depressive genes discovered only increases the risk of illness by a tiny amount.

From Slate • Sep. 21, 2021

Turkeys seem to be manic-depressive types, gobbling with blushing wattles, spread tails, and scraping wings in amorous bravado at one moment and huddled in craven cowardice the next.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• demented
• insane
• mad
• unhinged