basket case
basket case noun: someone (especially a soldier) who has lost all four limbs.
Noun
basket case (plural basket cases)
- Someone (especially a soldier) who has lost all four limbs.
- The Surgeon General of the Army […] denies […] that there is any foundation for the stories that have been circulated […] of the existence of ‘basket cases’ in our hospitals.1919, Official Bulletin (U.S. Comm. Public Information), 28 March
- Her mind, at its worst, is in ways analogous to a basket-case who seethes with desires to move but has no limbs.1973, Norman Mailer, Marilyn, Taschen, published 2022, page 73
- An institution or country in a bad condition or difficult situation (economically, financially or otherwise).
- This country is a financial basket case, a country so broke that it should be a perfect warning to lenders.
- Some countries are breadbaskets, others basket cases.
- One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic, stress or exhaustion; someone considered mentally unstable.
- She was a complete basket case the morning of her wedding.
- Often, when you share a deep dark secret with friends, your friends start to treat you differently. It is very damaging to be treated like a basket case, when you intended only to CONFIDE a fear.1985 April 9, Donald Gworek, “Thoughts on why this group isn't brimming with postings.”, in net.suicide (Usenet)
- Synonyms:
- emotional cripple
- An item in a disassembled state that is brought to be repaired.
Examples of basket case in a sentence
- The stereotypical image of North Korea as a hopeless economic basket case ignores the fact that there are extensive natural resources there.2009, Selig S. Harrison, Korean Endgame: A Strategy for Reunification and U.S. Disengagement, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 48:
- The Germany described by this Frankfurt School professor is a basket case – post-growth, post-democratic, with the first fascists in the Bundestag since the Third Reich.2018 December 21, Stuart Jeffries, “Germany’s Hidden Crisis by Oliver Nachtwey review – social decline in the heart of Europe”, in The...
- But before that could happen, the large parts of the business that were a complete basket case had to be dealt with severely.2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 51:
Synonyms of basket case
Forms of basket case
| plural | basket cases |
|---|---|
| alternative form | basketcase |
| alternative form | basket-case |
Origin of basket case
From basket + case. * (injured soldier): Based on rumors during World War I that wounded soldiers were transported in baskets. * (item to be repaired): The item's components might be brought for repair in a basket.
Questions about basket case
- What does basket case mean?
- Basket case means someone (especially a soldier) who has lost all four limbs.
- How do you use basket case in a sentence?
- The stereotypical image of North Korea as a hopeless economic basket case ignores the fact that there are extensive natural resources there.
- What part of speech is basket case?
- Basket case is a noun.
- What is the plural of basket case?
- The plural of basket case is basket cases.
Words near basket case in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: basket case (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-basket case.ogg.
Cite this entry: “basket case.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/basket_case. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.