personality disorder: Meaning and Definition of

personal'ity disor"der

Pronunciation: [key]
— Psychiatry. Psychiatry.
  1. any of a group of mental disorders characterized by deeply ingrained maladaptive patterns of behavior and personality style, which are usually recognizable as early as adolescence and are often lifelong in duration.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.