midlife crisis

American  

noun

• midlife crises
  plural

1. a period of psychological stress occurring in middle age, thought to be triggered by a physical, occupational, or domestic event, as menopause, diminution of physical prowess, job loss, or departure of children from the home.

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midlife crisis British  

/ ˈmɪdˌlaɪf /

noun

1. a crisis that may be experienced in middle age involving frustration, panic, and feelings of pointlessness, sometimes resulting in radical and often ill-advised changes of lifestyle

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• midlife crises
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of midlife crisis

First recorded in 1970–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

midlife crisis

That feel especially valid at a time when we have plenty of shoppable salves to soothe midlife crisis ego death in whatever forms that it takes.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

An antidote to August ennui: When Byard Duncan began to feel the creep of a midlife crisis, he realized that desperate times call for farcical measures.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Here’s how it can shake its midlife crisis.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026

"I was 40 the year we planted - it was a midlife crisis."

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025

My Aunt Helen used to say that my dad was going to be too proud to have a midlife crisis.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

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