borderline personality disorder
noun
: a personality disorder that is marked by unstable, intense emotions and mood with symptoms including instability in interpersonal relationships and self-image, fear of abandonment, and impulsive or unpredictable behavior and that has an onset during adolescence or early adulthood
Like others with borderline personality disorder, she had intense and unstable relationships with people that veered from adoration to intense hatred and jealousy the moment she felt the merest slight.—
Richard A. Friedman
Richard A. FriedmanBorderline personality disorder afflicts an estimated 1.3 percent of U.S. adults.—Bruce Bower
—abbreviation BPD
Bruce BowerExamples of borderline personality disorder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In November 1999, writer Joan Didion started seeing Roger MacKinnon, a New York psychiatrist, on the recommendation of the psychiatrist who was treating her daughter Quintana for borderline personality disorder, depression, and alcoholism.
—Heller McAlpin, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
Women with borderline personality disorder are roughly twice as likely to practice BDSM as those without.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
People with disorders like bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) rarely reveal their diagnoses to employers, colleagues, or hiring managers.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Studies show that children exposed to abuse or high-conflict environments often develop a fear of abandonment and rejection, which can lead to complex trauma or borderline personality disorder.
—Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025
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Heller McAlpin, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
Women with borderline personality disorder are roughly twice as likely to practice BDSM as those without.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
People with disorders like bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) rarely reveal their diagnoses to employers, colleagues, or hiring managers.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Studies show that children exposed to abuse or high-conflict environments often develop a fear of abandonment and rejection, which can lead to complex trauma or borderline personality disorder.
—Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline personality disorder
Cite this Entry
“Borderline personality disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borderline%20personality%20disorder. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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borderline personality disorder
noun
: a personality disorder that is marked by unstable, intense emotions and mood with symptoms including instability in interpersonal relationships and self-image, fear of abandonment, and impulsive or unpredictable behavior and that has an onset during adolescence or early adulthood
Borderline personality disorder afflicts an estimated 1.3 percent of U.S. adults.—Bruce Bower
—abbreviation BPD
Bruce BowerLove words? Need even more definitions?
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