boomerang child
/ˈbuməɹæŋ ˌt͡ʃaɪld/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.06 in modern English
25
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
3
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Synonym of boomerang kid (“a young adult who has moved back into the parental home after a period of independence”).
Informal
Example Sentences
- "It has been said that "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." But that saying doesn't set too well with today's generation of so-called "boomerang children." Chicago Sun-Times writer Ellen James Martin describes "boomerang children" as "grown offspring who move away from home for college, a job or marriage. Then something goes amiss and they're back home. Times are harsh. It's very expensive to live." [...] Not all "boomerang children" are young. The U.S. Census Bureau's study of Living Arrangements of Never-Married Adults In 1990 reports that 23 per cent of the 35–39 age group lived with their parents."
- "Of course, in some homes there are, as my grandmother would say, "good and grown" children still living at home, and other children, now called "boomerang children," coming back home with their children."
- "Although Christina's stepsister, Ashley, was successfully launched to college, the fact that she was then living at home with Shoshana made her launching incomplete and therefore she was a boomerang child. Liz's brother, David, could also have been considered a boomerang child. Although he still lived in his own apartment, he was dependent on his parents for financial support and therefore affected their plans as a couple."
- "[W]e see the increase of the phenomenon of the "boomerang child," where young adults return to the parental home at least once after the initial departure. Returning to the parental home could have a variety of consequences for both the "boomerang child" and the family. Despite the fact that there have been numerous media and academic descriptions and depictions of these boomerang children, it could well be that these children feel to some extent disenfranchised, alone, and alienated from the rest of the world."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbuməɹæŋ ˌt͡ʃaɪld/
- British English: /ˈbuːməɹæŋ ˌt͡ʃaɪld/