nervous exhaustion

American  

noun

1. extreme mental and physical fatigue caused by excessive emotional stress; neurasthenia.

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Etymology

Origin of nervous exhaustion

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Two years later, she was admitted to hospital suffering from "nervous exhaustion" but gradually returned to public life - where she took a close interest in organisations that helped the young and the elderly.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025

Always high-strung, he was prone to mysterious fainting spells and periods of nervous exhaustion, which led some to question his dedication.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2024

Chastain declared, referring to an incident in 1989, when Lewis was playing Hamlet at London’s National Theatre and, citing nervous exhaustion, quit the run in mid-performance, never to act onstage again.

From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023

For voters, it’s a recipe for nervous exhaustion.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2017

School Strain Like all factors of degeneracy, school strain evinces itself in a systemic nervous exhaustion manifest along lines of least resistance, as in the neuroses of Christopher.

From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.