Meanings
lost decade1
nounlost decade (plural lost decades)
plural lost decades · alternative Lost Decade
- A period of economic stagnation, originally referring to Japan in the 1990s (later extended to the 2000s and sometimes the 2010s).
Japan's stagnant “lost decades” of the 1990s and 2000s, while relatively comfortable for millions of Japanese and even enviable to other countries around the world, have left an indelibly negative mark.
2023 September 23, Leo Lewis, “It takes a village”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2
Lost Decade2
nounLost Decade (plural Lost Decades)
plural Lost Decades
- Alternative letter-case form of lost decade.
Origin
- Japanese失われた10年
- Englishlost decade
Calque of Japanese 失われた10年 (ushinawareta juu-nen).
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
lost decade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lost%20decade
MLA
“lost decade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lost%20decade. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lost decade,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lost%20decade.
Source: lost decade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.