as in nervous breakdown
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Recent Examples of basket case
Though the microbus appeared unscathed, the vehicle in reality was a basket case and in need of more than 900 replacement parts, Volkswagen of America said in a statement on its restoration.
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Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
24 Nov. 2025
America has become a fiscal basket case, and neither party is offering any kind of serious solution for a disaster that is already contributing to brutal inflation and may one day crush the value of the dollar.
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Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
31 Oct. 2025
His main accomplishment was to transform the country by giving us Joe Biden who then transformed the country into a basket case.
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Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Over the course of their day together, Claire the princess (Ringwald), Andrew the jock (Estevez), Brian the brain (Hall), Allison the basket case (Sheedy) and John the criminal (Nelson) begin to drop their stereotypical public facades and reveal their private struggles.
—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basket case
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
24 Nov. 2025
America has become a fiscal basket case, and neither party is offering any kind of serious solution for a disaster that is already contributing to brutal inflation and may one day crush the value of the dollar.
—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
31 Oct. 2025
His main accomplishment was to transform the country by giving us Joe Biden who then transformed the country into a basket case.
—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Over the course of their day together, Claire the princess (Ringwald), Andrew the jock (Estevez), Brian the brain (Hall), Allison the basket case (Sheedy) and John the criminal (Nelson) begin to drop their stereotypical public facades and reveal their private struggles.
—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basket case
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basket case
Noun
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After suffering a nervous breakdown and being taken care of by Marlon Brando’s daughter Cheyenne in Tahiti, Jones eventually returned to his life as a mogul of music, television and magazines.
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Some people in Caracas and surrounding areas suffered nervous breakdowns following the events of Wednesday afternoon, compounded by warnings that their homes might collapse.
Noun
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And at times members of the congregation thank her and others for casting aside those anxieties and keeping this place going.
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That uncertainty allows anxiety to grow because your brain naturally wants answers that do not yet exist.
Noun
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Beyond California, scientists are raising alarms over the planet’s warming oceans, which — coupled with a strong El Niño — could increase temperatures for land dwellers in the coming weeks.
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My parents tell stories about me sleeping through loud construction, alarms, and heavy knocks on my bedroom door.
Noun
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Janet, meanwhile, is having the kind of emotional breakdown that necessitates producer intervention.
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To help identify which aspects to comment on, Ginexi provides a helpful breakdown of the different sections of the OMB’s proposal.
Cite this Entry
“Basket case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basket%20case. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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