empty-nest syndrome

noun

1. a depressed state felt by some parents after their children have left home.

empty-nest syndrome

noun

1. informal.
   a condition, often involving depression, loneliness, etc, experienced by parents living in a home from which the children have grown up and left

Word History and Origins

Origin of empty-nest syndrome¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

The National Stadium is described as suffering empty-nest syndrome because it lags so far behind any notion of sustainable use.

From The Daily Beast