identity crisis
Americannoun
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a period or episode of psychological distress, often occurring in adolescence but sometimes in adulthood, when a person seeks a clearer sense of self and an acceptable role in society.
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confusion as to goals and priorities.
The company is undergoing an identity crisis.
Etymology
Origin of identity crisis
First recorded in 1950–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Top White House officials including National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross are racing to address the threat Mythos and other models pose, working to identify weaknesses in government and coordinate the private sector response.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Drones inspect dykes and levies, producing data then crunched by AI to identify weaknesses.
From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025
Consultants and vendors have received most of Iowa’s spending so far, including $5.2 million to Tetra Tech, an engineering business that conducted 1,260 building assessments to identify weaknesses that projects would fix.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024
“These floods and droughts identify weaknesses in the system,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2023
One challenge is that parties can be leery of paying the money needed to boost security and identify weaknesses.
From Reuters • May 16, 2019
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
