Stockholm syndrome

noun

Stock·​holm syndrome ˈstäk-ˌhō(l)m- How to pronounce Stockholm syndrome (audio)
: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Because, if so, maybe this was all just Stockholm syndrome. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024 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

Word History

Etymology

from a 1973 robbery attempt in Stockholm, Sweden, during which bank employees held hostage developed sympathetic feelings toward their captors

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Stockholm syndrome was in 1978

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 14 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

Stockholm syndrome

noun
Stock·​holm syndrome ˈstäk-ˌhō(l)m- How to pronounce Stockholm syndrome (audio)
: the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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