Survivor Guilt (Noun)
Meaning
A deep feeling of guilt often experienced by those who have survived some catastrophe that took the lives of many others; derives in part from a feeling that they did not do enough to save the others who perished and in part from feelings of being unworthy relative to those who died; "survivor guilt was first noted in those who survived the Holocaust".
Classification
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions.
Examples
- Many survivors of the tsunami struggled with survivor guilt, replaying in their minds what they could have done differently to save their loved ones.
- After losing several colleagues in a workplace accident, he grappled with intense feelings of survivor guilt that left him withdrawn and isolated.
- Survivor guilt haunted the veteran, who couldn't shake the memories of the fallen soldiers and wondered why he was spared.
- Years after the 9/11 attacks, she still battled survivor guilt, plagued by thoughts of the colleagues she had left behind on that fateful day.
- His father, a refugee who escaped the war, suffered from debilitating survivor guilt that prevented him from celebrating special occasions or enjoying everyday pleasures.