identity crisis

noun

|Updated on: 24 Jul 2018

Examples: identity crisis in a Sentence

Definition of identity crisis

1 : personal psychosocial conflict especially in adolescence that involves confusion about one's social role and often a sense of loss of continuity to one's personality

2 : a state of confusion in an institution or organization regarding its nature or direction

See identity crisis defined for English-language learners

Examples of identity crisis in a Sentence

He is suffering from an identity crisis.

Recent Examples of identity crisis from the Web

But Tim Hortons also is confronting an identity crisis at home.

— jaewon kang and dawn lim, WSJ, "Tim Hortons Tests China’s Appetite for Canadian Coffee," 11 July 2018
Enrique took over Barcelona in the summer of 2014 during a similar, if not quite so stark identity crisis.

— SI.com, "How Luis Enrique Must Force Quick Transition to Stop Spain Returning to the Mediocre Years," 10 July 2018
Bloomberg reporters delve into the U.K. ruling party’s identity crisis.

— caroline alexander, Bloomberg.com, "A Retirement, a Failed Coup and a Taboo: Weekend Reads," 30 June 2018
This comes as the Presbyterians, like other mainline protestants churches, have faced rapidly declining memberships and an identity crisis that has allowed the more radical elements within the church to hijack the movement, observers say.

— sean savage, Jewish Journal, "Presbyterian Church continues trend of targeting Israel at its General Assembly," 26 June 2018
The two speak fewer than once per month now, according to people close to both of them, and Obama has not actively monitored the group’s reform efforts after 2016’s bruising primary fight, which has turned into an identity crisis for the party.

— gabriel debenedetti, Daily Intelligencer, "Where Is Barack Obama?," 24 June 2018
There won’t be a defensive identity crisis again this year.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "Jon Gruden Is Back, With a Big Rebuilding Job: 10 Thoughts on the Raiders," 18 June 2018
But at times, the show seemed to suffer from an identity crisis.

— joey guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Justin Timberlake pushes against the pop flash on Man of the Woods Tour," 24 May 2018
The identity crisis that plagued Brazil after the 7-1 debacle against Germany in their own World Cup in 2014 is in the past.

— josé luis sánchez pando, chicagotribune.com, "World Cup Group E preview: Brazil out for the reconquest," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'identity crisis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of identity crisis

1941

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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IDENTITY CRISIS Defined for English Language Learners

identity crisis

noun

Definition of identity crisis for English Language Learners

: a feeling of unhappiness and confusion caused by not being sure about what type of person you really are or what the true purpose of your life is

Medical Dictionary

identity crisis

noun

medical Definition of identity crisis

: personal psychosocial conflict especially in adolescence that involves confusion about one's social role and often a sense of loss of continuity to one's personality