syndrome

The failure to accept, acknowledge, or act against a problematic situation that will gradually increase in severity until it reaches calamitous proportions. It is a metaphor taken from an anecdotal parable about boiling a frog, in which a frog placed in boiling water will immediately try to save itself, but one placed in cool water that is gradually brought to a boil will not notice the heat until it is boiled to death. Many environmentalists accuse naysayers of having boiling frog syndrome, not accepting that damage is being done until the earth is polluted beyond repair.

A scenario in which a nuclear reactor meltdown in North America would theoretically melt a hole straight through the Earth to China (which is impossible). In more realistic usage, it describes such a meltdown reaching groundwater and forcing subsequent radioactive gases into the atmosphere. The latter scenario was used as the basis of a 1979 film of the same name starring Jack Lemmon and Jane Fonda. While many advocate nuclear power as clean and safe, the risk of catastrophes such as China syndrome make me very nervous about its use.

A family home inhabited by parents after their children have grown up and departed. Many parents feel depressed when they are left in an empty nest.

Feelings of sadness or loneliness experienced by parents after all of their children have moved out of the home. Now that our youngest is away at college, my husband and I are going through empty nest syndrome. I thought I would enjoy having a quiet house again, but it actually makes me sad—I guess I'm suffering from empty nest syndrome.

Colloquial term for an abnormally limp posture in an infant lying prone due to an inability to maintain flexed ligaments or muscles. Also called "floppy infant syndrome." We were only made aware of our child's spinal muscular atrophy when she began showing signs of floppy baby syndrome.

Colloquial term for an abnormally limp posture in an infant lying prone due to an inability to maintain flexed ligaments or muscles. Also called "floppy baby syndrome." We were only made aware of our child's spinal muscular atrophy when she began showing signs of floppy infant syndrome.

An experience characterized by persistent feelings of inadequacy and incompetence despite one's training or accolades to the contrary. It is typically accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud. The term is attributed to clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes. Despite the connotations of its name, "impostor syndrome" is not considered a mental illness. Despite having three degrees, I constantly worry that I will be exposed in the office as a fraud, so yeah, I guess you could say that I struggle with impostor syndrome.

A prejudicial belief that products, systems, software, etc., that were not developed within a company or organization are not as suitable or well made as those that are created in-house. I think the boss's not-invented-here-syndrome stems from experiences he had using third-party software in his previous business, which apparently cost them thousands of dollars trying to implement.

A psychological state or condition in which a grown person cannot or refuses to act like an adult; a stubborn and persistent immaturity found in an adult person. I seem cursed to only find men who have some damned Peter Pan syndrome. I'm tired of going out with guys who act like children!

A psychological syndrome in which a hostage or kidnapped person begins to feel an emotional attachment or bond toward their captor. Named for a 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, because the hostage expressed positive feelings for their captors, and negative feelings for the police, after being released. I think we've got a Stockholm Syndrome situation going on here. The hostages seem to be identifying with their captors. Patty Hearst is often mentioned in conjunction with Stockholm Syndrome, as she became sympathetic toward her captors following her 1974 kidnapping.

The home of parents whose children have grown up and moved out. For example, Now that they had an empty nest, Jim and Jane opened a bed-and-breakfast. This expression, alluding to a nest from which baby birds have flown, gave rise to such related ones as empty-nester, for a parent whose children had moved out, and empty-nest syndrome, for the state of mind of parents whose children had left. [c. 1970]