separation anxiety

noun

Definition of separation anxiety

: 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 One of their dogs, a Rhodesian ridgeback named Finn, has separation anxiety. — Ben Finley, ajc, 5 Jan. 2022 One quarter of first-year college students reported moderate to severe pet separation anxiety. — Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 Before the arrival of two kittens, Daisy — an 8-year-old pit bull mix living in New York City — often experienced separation anxiety when her owner Rosemarie T. left the house. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 12 Nov. 2021 On the flip side, Colorado dog owners reported separation anxiety in their pets at a 5.58% higher rate than the national average. — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 9 Sep. 2021 Yeah, that’s separation anxiety in action, but it’s usually outgrown by the age of three. — Eleesha Lockett, SELF, 8 Nov. 2021 Fauteux said her son, now eight years old, has a good deal of separation anxiety to this day. — Emily Peck, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2021 My cellphone always rides in my jacket pocket, safe from any separation anxiety. — Joe Michaud, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2021 Like my dog, Archie, Sherwood suffers from separation anxiety. — Washington Post, 28 July 2021

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

Learn More About separation anxiety

Dictionary Entries Near separation anxiety

separation

separation anxiety

separation disk

Statistics for separation anxiety

Last Updated

18 Jan 2022

Cite this Entry

“Separation anxiety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separation%20anxiety. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.

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More Definitions for separation anxiety

separation anxiety

noun

English Language Learners Definition of separation anxiety

: a feeling of strong fear and anxiety that is experienced by a young child when the child is separated from a parent

See the full definition for separation anxiety in the English Language Learners Dictionary

separation anxiety

noun

Medical Definition of separation anxiety

: 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