empty nester
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A parent whose children have grown up and left home: An "empty nester" is a person, typically a parent, who lives in a home that has become quieter and less occupied because their adult children have moved out to live independently.
Usage
- The term describes the life stage and emotional experience of parents after their children leave the family home. It often implies an adjustment to a quieter household and a shift in daily routines and identity.
- It is commonly used in discussions about family life, psychology, sociology, and real estate.
Examples
- Noun:
- After their youngest daughter went to college, John and Maria became empty nesters.
- Many empty nesters decide to downsize to a smaller house.
- The community center offers social activities for empty nesters looking to meet new people.
Advanced Usage
- The term can be used to describe a specific demographic group targeted by marketers, travel agencies, or housing developers.
- It can also refer to the emotional state or period of adjustment itself, e.g., "the empty nester phase."
Variants and Related Words
- Empty nest (noun): The situation or the home itself after the children have left.
- They are adjusting to life in an empty nest.
- Empty-nest syndrome (noun): Feelings of sadness, loneliness, or loss that some parents experience when their children leave home.
- She experienced a mild case of empty-nest syndrome when her son moved out.
Synonyms
- Parent of grown children: A more formal and descriptive synonym.
- Post-parental adult: A less common, more clinical term.
Related Phrases
- To have an empty nest: To be in the situation where one's children have left home.
- They will have an empty nest next fall.
- To become an empty nester: To transition into this stage of life.
- He wasn't sure how he would feel when he became an empty nester.
Noun
- a parent whose children have grown up and left home