IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

burned out

Meaning: Lacking enthusiasm due to overexposure or too much of the same thing; completely used up; worn out.

Example: “After ten years in the emergency room, the nurse felt completely burned out.”

Origin: A candle, fire or light bulb that has burned out has used up everything that fed it. The psychological sense of exhaustion from overwork was popularized by the psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970s.

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