separation anxiety

noun

: a form of anxiety experienced by a young child and caused by separation from a significant nurturant figure and typically a parent or from familiar surroundings

Examples of separation anxiety in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Airlines are making a ridiculous amount of money by selling you the promise of avoiding a middle seat or exploiting your separation anxiety or your claustrophobia. Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 10 May 2025 Managing Separation Anxiety To help children cope with separation anxiety, parents should establish a consistent routine, create a comforting goodbye routine, and offer as much support and reassurance as needed along the way. Corinne Schuman, Parents, 6 May 2025 Other dogs, especially those that are anxious or suffer from separation anxiety, might find comfort in your scent. Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025 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. Steve Lopez, Mercury News, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for separation anxiety

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of separation anxiety was in 1943

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Separation anxiety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separation%20anxiety. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

separation anxiety

noun
: a form of anxiety that is caused by separation from a significant nurturant figure and typically a parent or from familiar surroundings and that has an onset during childhood or sometimes adolescence

More from Merriam-Webster on separation anxiety

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!