seasonal affective disorder

noun

: depression that tends to recur chiefly during the late fall and winter and is associated with shorter hours of daylight

—abbreviation SAD

Did you know?

Seasonal affective disorder hasn't been recognized as a medical condition for very long, and the term has only become part of the general English vocabulary during the past three decades or so (its earliest documented appearance in print dates from 1983). "Seasonal affective disorder" (abbreviated SAD) is also sometimes called "Winter Depression" and some researchers describe it as a "hibernation reaction" in which sensitive individuals react to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures of fall and winter.

Examples of seasonal affective disorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All of this makes all of the January and not just a single day in January a prime month for seasonal affective disorder, which is also fittingly known as SAD. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

This period is often called SAD season, for seasonal affective disorder, which affects many people. —Renée Onque, CNBC, 27 Nov. 2024

Anyone who suffers from seasonal allergies, frequently gets colds or deals with seasonal affective disorder can find a product on this list that can help make fall and winter a little more enjoyable. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 3 Sep. 2024

To counteract the impacts of seasonal affective disorder and winter blues more generally, Parrish shared her top five tips to keep your productivity going strong throughout the winter. —Alyssa Jaffer, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for seasonal affective disorder

• boarder
• border
• corder
• order
• warder
• camcorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

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Medical Definition

seasonal affective disorder

noun

sea·​son·​al affective disorder ˌsēz-ᵊn-əl- 

: depression that tends to recur each year chiefly during the late fall and winter and is associated with shorter hours of daylight

—abbreviation SAD