mid-life
Halfway through adulthood
Mid-life is the middle period of a person's life, typically the years between about 40 and 60.
A mid-life crisis is a period of anxiety or dissatisfaction that supposedly strikes during these years, prompting dramatic changes—quitting a job, buying a sports car, leaving a marriage.
The term often carries a slightly comic connotation, suggesting both the crisis and its stereotypical responses.
Also spelled midlife.
Persistent apprehensive distress
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
- restlessnessState of unease
- depressionProlonged low state
- existentialRelating to existence itself
panic · regret · divorce · affair · infidelity · tattoo · rebellion · overcompensation
Observing one's own mind
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- prioritiesMost important things
- purposeReason something exists
- fulfillmentState of achieved purpose
values · goals · legacy · meaning · ambition · regret · contentment · self-discovery
Good judgment from experience
- experiencePractical knowledge from life
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- patienceCalm during delays
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
discernment · insight · understanding · sophistication · prudence · poise · grace · acumen
Growing older over time
- parenthoodState of having children
- menopauseEnd of fertility
- andropauseMen's midlife hormonal change
- milestoneNotable event marking progress
crossroads · adjustment · evolution · progression · plateau · recalibration · pivoting · chapter
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
- restlessnessState of unease
- depressionProlonged low state
existential · panic · regret · divorce · affair · infidelity · tattoo · rebellion · overcompensation · nostalgia
introspection
Observing one's own mind
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- prioritiesMost important things
- purposeReason something exists
fulfillment · values · goals · legacy · meaning · ambition · regret · contentment · self-discovery · reappraisal
wisdom
Good judgment from experience
- experiencePractical knowledge from life
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- patienceCalm during delays
judgment · discernment · insight · understanding · sophistication · prudence · poise · grace · acumen · sagacity
aging
Growing older over time
- parenthoodState of having children
- menopauseEnd of fertility
- andropauseMen's midlife hormonal change
milestone · crossroads · adjustment · evolution · progression · plateau · recalibration · pivoting · chapter · threshold
mid-lifeyouth
State of being immature
old age · childhood · infancy · senescence · early life
mid-lifesalad days
Period of youthful inexperience
sunset years · final chapter · fresh start · new beginnings · second childhood