battered woman syndrome
[ bat-erd woom-uhn sin-drohm ]
noun
the array of physical and psychological injuries exhibited by women (battered women, or battered wives ) who have been beaten repeatedly or otherwise abused by their partners or spouses.
Origin of battered woman syndrome
1First recorded in 1975–80
- Also called bat·tered wife syn·drome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use battered woman syndrome in a sentence
According to a CNN source, Dobbs tormented Pilgrim to the point that “she was like a battered wife.”
It's a poem by the English poet John Ash, and it ends with the image of the century as a battered wife who comes into a bar.
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