What is the meaning of survivor guilt?

noun

  • 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.
    • usage: "survivor guilt was first noted in those who survived the Holocaust"
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APAWordNet. (2010). survivor guilt. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/survivor_guilt/definitions/1220218
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "survivor guilt" http://smartdefine.org/survivor_guilt/definitions/1220218 (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, survivor guilt, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/survivor_guilt/definitions/1220218>.
MLAWordNet. "survivor guilt" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/survivor_guilt/definitions/1220218>