battle fatigue

[bat-l fuh-teeg]

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a post-traumatic stress disorder occurring among soldiers engaged in active combat, characterized by excessive autonomic arousal, psychic numbing, and persistent reliving of traumatic experiences.

battle fatigue

noun

1. Also called: combat fatigue. psychol a type of mental disorder, characterized by anxiety, depression, and loss of motivation, caused by the stress of active warfare See also shell shock

Other Word Forms

• battle-fatigued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of battle fatigue¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Psychologists and other experts described the sum effect of these forces as causing “racial battle fatigue” — a form of collective post-traumatic stress disorder — among Black people and other non-whites in America and across the West.

From Salon

It started off as battle fatigue, and then it evolved into shell shock.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, advancing Western integration is a top priority for Ukraine, where troops face battle fatigue and concerns swirl over the future of vital U.S. military aid.

From Reuters

Over the course of a day and night, three-strong driver teams battle fatigue and the field to steer their aggressive prototype racing machine towards one of the biggest prizes in motorsport.

From BBC

Racial battle fatigue has weathered me; it has weathered so many of us.

From Salon