Stockholm syndrome
noun
Stock·holm syndrome
ˈstäk-ˌhō(l)m- 
: the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor
Examples of Stockholm syndrome in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This American version of Stockholm syndrome gets twisted by Rock’s sarcastic approach to political contempt.
—
Armond White, National Review, 23 Oct. 2024
Russians are collectively experiencing a version of Stockholm syndrome, sympathizing more with their own captor than with his other victims.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2022
Familiarity over six hours possibly breeds, if not contentment, at least some kind of cinematic Stockholm syndrome.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2024
Those civilians who support them suffer from Stockholm syndrome, which is understandable.
—Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2023
Reservations about Palantir were further exacerbated when Peter Thiel, billionaire cofounder and chairman on Palantir’s board, compared Britain’s obsession with the NHS to Stockholm syndrome.
—WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
The bizarre tale of a kidnapping attempt, the German kaiser and a beloved ashtray
Bejerot, the consulting psychiatrist, is credited with coining Stockholm syndrome that year to describe the phenomenon of captives developing emotional bonds with their captors.
—Donald Beaulieu, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023
The foundations of He Went That Way would appear to promise a movie with curiosity, tension, volatility and perhaps even the kind of improbable bonding that can grow out of Stockholm syndrome.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2023
The girls’ return was, however, received with mixed feelings by some, including Saleh Bala, a retired senior officer of the Nigerian army, who said the girls are victims of the Stockholm syndrome, an emotional response in which some hostage victims develop positive feelings for their captors.
—BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2021
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Armond White, National Review, 23 Oct. 2024
Russians are collectively experiencing a version of Stockholm syndrome, sympathizing more with their own captor than with his other victims.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2022
Familiarity over six hours possibly breeds, if not contentment, at least some kind of cinematic Stockholm syndrome.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2024
Those civilians who support them suffer from Stockholm syndrome, which is understandable.
—Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2023
Reservations about Palantir were further exacerbated when Peter Thiel, billionaire cofounder and chairman on Palantir’s board, compared Britain’s obsession with the NHS to Stockholm syndrome.
—WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
The bizarre tale of a kidnapping attempt, the German kaiser and a beloved ashtray
Bejerot, the consulting psychiatrist, is credited with coining Stockholm syndrome that year to describe the phenomenon of captives developing emotional bonds with their captors.
—Donald Beaulieu, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023
The foundations of He Went That Way would appear to promise a movie with curiosity, tension, volatility and perhaps even the kind of improbable bonding that can grow out of Stockholm syndrome.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2023
The girls’ return was, however, received with mixed feelings by some, including Saleh Bala, a retired senior officer of the Nigerian army, who said the girls are victims of the Stockholm syndrome, an emotional response in which some hostage victims develop positive feelings for their captors.
—BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near Stockholm syndrome
Cite this Entry
“Stockholm syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Stockholm%20syndrome. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Stockholm syndrome
noun
Stock·holm syndrome
ˈstäk-ˌhō(l)m-
: the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor
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