Meanings
proper noun
- idiomaticThe supposed psychological phenomenon of immaturity among some men, who, like the fictional character, remain childish or childlike and fail to assume appropriate adult social roles and responsibilities.
The husband himself (called "he" to emphasize his role as Typical Male) comes across as a rather dense, naughty adolescent boy. He is clearly suffering from a terminal case of the Peter Pan syndrome.
1989, Alice Hall Petry, “Alice Walker: The Achievement of the Short Fiction,”, in Modern Language Studies, volume 19, number 1, page 17
Translations
French syndrome de Peter Pan
- syndrome de Peter PanSupposed psychological phenomenon
Hungarian Pán Péter szindróma
- Pán Péter szindrómaSupposed psychological phenomenon
Italian sindrome di Peter Pan
- sindrome di Peter PanSupposed psychological phenomenon
Japanese ピーターパン症候群
- ピーターパン症候群 (Pītā Pan shōkōgun)Supposed psychological phenomenon
Polish syndrom Piotrusia Pana, kompleks Piotrusia Pana
- syndrom Piotrusia PanaSupposed psychological phenomenon
- kompleks Piotrusia PanaSupposed psychological phenomenon
Portuguese síndrome de Peter Pan
- síndrome de Peter PanSupposed psychological phenomenon
Spanish síndrome de Peter Pan
- síndrome de Peter PanSupposed psychological phenomenon
Cite this entry
APA
Peter Pan syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Peter%20Pan%20syndrome
MLA
“Peter Pan syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Peter%20Pan%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Peter Pan syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Peter%20Pan%20syndrome.
Source: Peter Pan syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.