midlife crisis

noun

: a period of emotional turmoil in middle age characterized especially by a strong desire for change

Examples of midlife crisis in a Sentence

We knew he was going through a midlife crisis when he bought a new sports car.

Recent Examples on the Web

The algorithm’s top pick is Noah, a copywriter in a midlife crisis, to train UniView’s new bot Quinn on the best way to nab consumers’ attention and empty their wallets. —Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026

The audience gets glimmers of Katie and Greg’s relationship, but the show is bogged down by dull characters like the policeman who seems to have it out for Greg, and even by its focus on Archie’s point of view, which is just a depiction of narcissism and a formulaic pseudo-midlife crisis. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026

And in this particular version of her midlife crisis, the Olympic skater learns to have fun. —Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Feb. 2026

Now pushing 40 and navigating various midlife crises, the women are ensnared in a tangle of new and old mysteries. —Judy Berman, Time, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for midlife crisis

• ecdysis
• haemoptysis
• hemoptysis
• lysis
• phthisis

Medical Definition

midlife crisis

noun

: a period of emotional turmoil in middle age caused by the realization that one is no longer young and characterized especially by a strong desire for change