Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

full nest syndrome

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.83 in modern English

Syllables: ful-l nest syn-drome
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

3

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A feeling of stress, frustration or depression experienced by some middle-aged parents whose adult children have not moved out from their house.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Their parents meanwhile have their own adjustments to make. You see, those who were prepared for an attack of the empty-nest syndrome in September are aghast at the symptoms of a full-nest syndrome in November."
"In one variation of the full nest syndrome, parents and/or in-laws come to live with the chosen daughter, placing even more demands for nurturance on an already beleaguered middle-aged mother."
"Joyce answered my survey question, "What particularly bothers you about your age?" this way: "Gray hair, wrinkles and a fear that my children are going to live home forever." Doctor Sheila (that's me) has labeled this attribute full-nest syndrome and I'm suffering from it even as I write this book. Full-nest syndrome produces feelings of frustration and depression in parents whose children haven't moved out and show no intention of doing so."
"Some parents may find themselves dealing with the “full-nest syndrome” in which children return to Japan and to their parents, expecting to continue the expatriate lifestyle, much as before."
"I needed a new shelter, a way to spend my nights in the shadow of the Almighty, a time of refuge from family life. When my psychotherapist saw how excited I was about taking al nine-day silent retreat, she said I had full-nest syndrome."

Etymology

Earliest known use is from 1976 (see first quotation below), by analogy with empty nest syndrome.

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

full-nest syndrome (alternative)

Phrases

empty nest syndrome

Frequently Paired Words

empty nest syndrome

Questions

What does full nest syndrome mean?: A feeling of stress, frustration or depression experienced by some middle-aged parents whose adult children have not moved out from their house.
Where does full nest syndrome come from?: Earliest known use is from 1976 (see first quotation below), by analogy with empty nest syndrome.

How to pronounce full nest syndrome

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