survivor guilt
nounPsychiatry.
feelings of guilt for having survived a catastrophe in which others died.
Origin of survivor guilt
1First recorded in 1970–75
- Compare survivor syndrome.
Words Nearby survivor guilt
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Cultural definitions for survivor guilt
survivor guilt
A deep sense of guilt, combined often with feelings of numbness and loss of interest in life, felt by those who have survived some catastrophe. It was first noticed among survivors of the Holocaust. Survivors often feel that they did not do enough to save those who died or that they are unworthy relative to the perished.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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