separation anxiety
Americannoun
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the normal fear and apprehension expressed by infants when removed from their mothers or approached by strangers.
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any similar reaction in later life caused by separation from familiar surroundings or close friends or family.
noun
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.
"She is understandably traumatised by this and is now suffering with separation anxiety with me because she does not want me to go and not come back 'like daddy did'."
From BBC
“Haven’t they ever heard of separation anxiety? What is the matter with these people? I have taken care of toddlers with FAS, and they are nothing like Boo.”
From Literature
She added that some dogs also suffered from separation anxiety, or were unable to be around other dogs and cats, or were unsafe around children.
From BBC
“As a parent, it’s hard to miss those pivotal moments,” she said of the separation anxiety that many children feel when their parents are working and unavailable.
From Los Angeles Times
That can put them on edge and heighten their separation anxiety, Langan said, and if their owners are depressed or grief-stricken about loss and uncertainty, the animals absorb those emotions too.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
