burnout

burnout

1. Exhaustion from excessive stress or strain, especially to a degree that one can no longer maintain a particular level of performance or dedication. People in this industry often work upwards of 70-hour weeks, so burnout tends to be pretty common. Therapists are especially prone to emotional burnout, given that they constantly provide support to people in their darkest and most difficult moments. I'm not surprised that burnout is widespread among students at those ultra-competitive prep schools.

2. One who is apathetic and unmotivated, especially an employee. We need to hire some hard workers and get rid of these burnouts who want to collect a paycheck for doing nothing. Why is it that so many hard-working interns become burnouts once we hire them to a full-time position? I'm not surprised Leslie's a burnout, considering she's been here 33 years. Just retire already!

3. slang A regular drug user or addict who displays the adverse effects of drug use, especially cognitive impairment. I swore I would never be a burnout like my older brother, so I refuse to try drugs of any kind. You can't dismiss these students just because they're burnouts—they clearly need help and guidance. He started doing drugs as a teenager and is a total burnout now

emotional burnout

Exhaustion from excessive emotional stress or strain, especially such that one can no longer maintain a particular level of performance or dedication. Therapists are especially prone to emotional burnout, given that they constantly provide support to people in their darkest and most difficult moments. I'm not surprised that emotional burnout is widespread among students at those ultra-competitive prep schools. I really struggled with emotional burnout as I went through my divorce. I'm so glad that's behind me now.

See also: burnout, emotional

spousal burnout

Exhaustion from excessive stress, most commonly due to taking care of one's spouse for a prolonged period of time. A: "Now that Dad has Alzheimer's, I'm really worried that Mom will start experiencing spousal burnout if she doesn't get some help at home." B: "Yeah, maybe we should hire a part-time nurse."

See also: burnout

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

burnout

(ˈbɚnɑʊt)

1. n. a person who is ruined by drugs. Two burnouts sat on the school steps and stared at their feet.

2. n. someone no longer effective on the job. We try to find some other employment for the burnouts.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.