empty-nest syndrome

noun

emp·​ty-nest syndrome ˌem(p)-tē-ˈnest- 

: an emotional letdown often experienced by an empty nester

Examples of empty-nest syndrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maybe when the final daughter-departing blow comes, empty-nest syndrome won’t be my fate. —Galadriel Watson, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2019

One possibility is what’s called empty-nest syndrome, a term used since at least the 1980s. —Galadriel Watson, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

empty-nest syndrome

noun

emp·​ty-nest syndrome ˈem(p)-tē-ˈnest- 

variants or empty nest syndrome

: a feeling of prolonged sadness, loss, or emptiness that is often experienced by a parent whose children have grown up and moved away from home