Meanings
- uncountableThe condition of a feral child.
So when little Sasha came into the care of our outreach, he came with that “Mowgli syndrome” designation because he had been raised by dogs and had no memory of ever living with a human being.
2017, Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems from the Greek Vol. 21 more example
Alas, in reality children who have no experience of human care, loving relationships, and language display none of these. Instead, they display symptoms of what is called the Mowgli syndrome, symptoms including fear of humans, […]
2008, Zygon, volume 43, page 835
Origin
After Mowgli, the fictional protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1894), who was raised by wolves.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Mowgli syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mowgli%20syndrome
“Mowgli syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mowgli%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mowgli syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mowgli%20syndrome.
Source: Mowgli syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.