English Dictionary

meltdown

名詞

可算名詞 不可算名詞 くだけた表現

Severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and potentially in radiation escaping. / A situation being likened to a nuclear meltdown; a crisis.

日本語の意味

原子炉の炉心が深刻に過熱し、核反応炉の芯が溶融する現象（核メルトダウン）。それに伴い放射能が漏れる可能性がある状態。 / 極度の危機的状況や体制の崩壊を比喩的に表現したもの。

The emergency team raced to contain the meltdown at the nuclear power plant before radiation could escape.

緊急チームは、放射線が漏れ出す前に原子力発電所で炉心が深刻に過熱して溶融する事態を食い止めようと急いだ。

意味（1）

Severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and potentially in radiation escaping.

Four years have passed since the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, but the grim legacy of the Soviet catastrophe is still unfolding. https://web.archive.org/web/20041130094534/http://www.time.com/time/daily/chernobyl/chernobyl.index.html

意味（2）

A situation being likened to a nuclear meltdown; a crisis.

Channel 4 switchboards went into meltdown this week when viewers called to complain about a Brass Eye programme on child sex.

意味（3）

(psychology) An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the person is overwhelmed by intense, seemingly disproportionate emotions, behaving erratically and becoming unable to mask.

Now if I am really anxious, I can take a moment to think about what is making me anxious and what to do about it; before I would just spiral into a meltdown really quickly, with no understanding of why.

意味（4）

(informal) A tantrum or emotional outburst.

I had a major meltdown at work today. After being instructed one more time about additional work that I was to delegate to my direct reports, I snapped, but in a very polite manner.

meltdowns （ plural ）