Meanings
nounmid-life crisis (plural mid-life crises)
plural mid-life crises · alternative midlife crisis
- human sciencesAn emotional period of doubt and anxiety sometimes experienced by middle-aged people who realize that their life is already half over.
Though we prefer the word "transition" in naming this period, our view of it owes much to his. The Mid-life Transition may be rather mild. When it involves considerable turmoil and disruption, we speak of a mid-life crisis.
1978, Daniel J. Levinson, The Seasons of a Man's Life, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 26
Translations
Catalan crisi de la mitjana edat
- crisi de la mitjana edatemotional period of doubt
Chinese Mandarin 結構性中年危機 /结构性中年危机, 中年危機 /中年危机
- 結構性中年危機 /结构性中年危机 (jiégòuxìng zhōngnián wēijī)emotional period of doubt
- 中年危機 /中年危机 (zhōngnián wēijī)emotional period of doubt
Czech krize středního věku
- krize středního věkuemotional period of doubt
Danish midtlivskrise
- midtlivskriseemotional period of doubt
Dutch midlifecrisis
- midlifecrisisemotional period of doubt
Finnish keski-iän kriisi
- keski-iän kriisiemotional period of doubt
French crise de la quarantaine
- crise de la quarantaineemotional period of doubt
German Midlife-Crisis, Midlifekrise
- Midlife-Crisisemotional period of doubt
- Midlifekriseemotional period of doubt
Hungarian kapuzárási pánik
- kapuzárási pánikemotional period of doubt
Japanese ミドルエイジクライシス
- ミドルエイジクライシス (midoru-eiji kuraishisu)emotional period of doubt
Norwegian Bokmål midtlivskrise
- midtlivskriseemotional period of doubt
Polish kryzys wieku średniego
- kryzys wieku średniegoemotional period of doubt
Portuguese crise da meia-idade
- crise da meia-idadeemotional period of doubt
Russian кри́зис сре́днего во́зраста
- кри́зис сре́днего во́зраста (krízis srédnevo vózrasta)emotional period of doubt
Spanish crisis de la mediana edad, crisis de los 40
- crisis de la mediana edademotional period of doubt
- crisis de los 40emotional period of doubt
- crisis de los 50emotional period of doubt
Swedish medelålderskris
- medelålderskrisemotional period of doubt
Turkish orta yaş krizi, orta yaş bunalımı
- orta yaş kriziemotional period of doubt
- orta yaş bunalımıemotional period of doubt
Cite this entry
APA
mid-life crisis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mid-life%20crisis
MLA
“mid-life crisis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mid-life%20crisis. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mid-life crisis,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mid-life%20crisis.
Source: mid-life crisis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.