esaurimento nervoso
/e.zaw.riˈmen.to nerˈvo.zo/word by wordmasculine
The English phrase 'nervous breakdown' is esaurimento nervoso in Italian.
esaurimento nervoso is used to describe an attack of a psychological disorder. While it is the standard term, in modern clinical contexts, doctors are more likely to use specific diagnostic terms rather than this more general phrase.
Meaning: attack of a psychological disorder (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'nervous exhaustion'. The word esaurimento comes from the verb esaurire, meaning to exhaust or deplete.
Did you know?
- Italians may use the phrase avere un crollo to describe a breakdown, which uses the word crollo meaning a building collapse or a landslide.
- In colloquial Italian, saying sono esaurito can simply mean 'I am exhausted' or 'I am fed up' without implying a medical clinical breakdown.
- The word nervoso comes from the Latin nervōsus, which originally referred to things made of sinew or tendons rather than the modern concept of nerves.
Examples in context
- Ebbi un esaurimento nervoso.I had a nervous breakdown.This sentence is useful for expressing that you had a nervous breakdown using esaurimento nervoso.Tatoeba #9845728 by Guybrush88, translation #7113297 by CM
- Tom sta avendo un esaurimento nervoso.Tom is having a nervous breakdown.This sentence is useful for describing that Tom is having a nervous breakdown using esaurimento nervoso.Tatoeba #7723653 by Guybrush88, translation #7712029 by CK
- Ha preso un esaurimento nervoso a causa del troppo lavoro.She had a nervous breakdown because of too much work.This sentence is useful for explaining that a person had a nervous breakdown due to overwork using esaurimento nervoso.Tatoeba #13859903 by Nuel, translation #13859902 by Nuel
- Dopo mesi di stress lavorativo, è scoppiata in una crisi di nervi.After months of work-related stress, she had a nervous breakdown.
- Le continue responsabilità l'hanno portato all'esaurimento nervoso.The constant responsibilities led him to a nervous breakdown.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a colleague's sudden absence from work.
- AlessandroHai sentito di Marco?Did you hear about Marco?
- ChiaraNo, cosa è successo?No, what happened?
- AlessandroHa avuto un esaurimento nervoso.He had a nervous breakdown.
- ChiaraPovero uomo, deve riposare.Poor man, he needs to rest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nervous breakdown” translations and entries esaurimento nervoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (esaurimento, nervoso) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries esaurimento, esaurimento nervoso, nervoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
