nervous exhaustion
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˈnɜrvəs ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/
- Archaic
:
agotamiento nervioso
- After months of stress from work, she finally admitted that she was experiencing nervous exhaustion.
Examples
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The therapist explained that many individuals suffer from nervous exhaustion when faced with prolonged anxiety.
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The doctor says it's nervous exhaustion.
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All right, the poor woman was probably suffering from nervous exhaustion.
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I was suffering from nervous exhaustion.
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The Maestro Houdini has been taken ill with the condition of severe nervous exhaustion!
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The illness left psychological scars, and she became prone to what was diagnosed at the time as bouts of "nervous exhaustion," or extended periods of depression.
Academic text (2005) -
The victors over these anxieties and nervous exhaustion attain an inner stillness, peace, and physical tranquility.
Academic text (2015) -
He struggled to concentrate on his tasks due to nervous exhaustion from ongoing family issues.
Synonyms
78
3.6
Extreme physical or mental tiredness after hard work
1
7.4
A state of being very tired in body or mind
1
4.4
A feeling of being tired after long thinking or stress
1
6.0
A very tired mind after long thinking or a lot of stress
1
9.9
Long-lasting extreme tiredness in body and mind once named by doctors
Extreme mental and physical tiredness from stress that stops you from doing normal daily activities
A feeling of great weakness and tiredness
Antonyms
How Exhausted
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is transparently built from 'nervous' (anxious, stressed) + 'exhaustion' (severe depletion of energy), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it means extreme tiredness caused by anxiety or stress. This adjective+noun compositional pattern is regular in English and mirrors constructions in many other languages, making the meaning readily predictable.
Etymology
Nervous exhaustion comes from old medical talk where people thought the body's nervous energy could be used up and exhaustion meant being emptied of strength. So the picture of worn-out nerves explains why it now means 'extreme tiredness' and 'not able to cope' after long stress.