personality disorder

American  

noun

Psychiatry.

• personality disorders
  plural

1. any of a group of mental disorders characterized by deeply ingrained maladaptive patterns of behavior and personality style, which are usually recognizable as early as adolescence and are often lifelong in duration.

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personality disorder British  

noun

1. psychiatry any of a group of mental disorders characterized by a permanent disposition to behave in ways causing suffering to oneself or others

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personality disorder Scientific  

/ pûr′sə-năl′ĭ-tē /

1. Any of a group of psychiatric disorders in which a person's abnormal self-perception or ability to relate to others results in undesirable behaviors and interferes with normal social and emotional functioning.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• personality disorders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of personality disorder

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

personality disorder

“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

He cited a psychiatric expert who diagnosed the defendant with a narcissistic personality disorder.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Martha Smith-Higgins, defending, said Villafane had a previous diagnosis of personality disorder with psychotic features.

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

Years ago, hedge-fund managers, including Julian Robertson and Steve Cohen, hired in-house therapists, including Dr. Aaron Stern, an expert in narcissistic personality disorder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025

When they said I had avoidant personality disorder, she told them I just hadn’t learned to be comfortable in my own skin.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson