arrested development
2
7.5
- noun
- /əˈrɛstɪd dɪˈvɛləpmənt/
- Specialized
:
desarrollo detenido
- All this talk about young people (my generation) and this new cultural, Western phenomenon of 'arrested development' where no one wants to grow up and become an adult has made me wonder what happened.
- resulting from arrested development
Examples
-
Richie is a classic case of arrested development, all bad habits and tortured optimism; meanwhile, Peter's mature and mostly level-headed.
Blog text (9) -
I often thought it's because I have a case of arrested development, but the real reason is that I struggled a lot as a teenager.
Blog text (23) -
What is missing in this view is an understanding that the attainment of a healthy identity and individuality may also result in arrested development.
Academic text (1994) -
Paul here provides a contemporary example of the same arrested development that feminists everywhere are advocating for all women.
Blog text (4) -
Instead, the album offers a tragic portrait of arrested development in which a man reverts to boyish behavior.
Academic text (2013) -
Ideologues... they get hooked young on one line of thinking—one economist, one philosopher, one religious leader—and it's like arrested development.
Blog text (21) -
He realized his obsession with video games was a sign of arrested development that hindered his personal growth.
-
The psychologist explained how some adults can experience arrested development due to unresolved trauma from childhood.
-
Her constant reliance on her parents for basic decisions was a clear example of arrested development.
Synonyms
3
7.9
A state when emotional or sexual development stops early and affects adult behavior
A lack of normal growth in a person, animal, or system
An emotional problem where a person stops growing emotionally and acts like a child
A state of not being fully developed in behaviour or ability
Antonyms
How Immature
- Specialized
2
7.5
- Archaic
1
9.9
4
3.9
14
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a condition in which normal physical or mental development stops' is directly and compositionally derived from 'arrest' (to halt) + 'development' (growth). Although the phrase is somewhat clinical in register, the semantic combination is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase arrested development uses arrested in the sense 'stopped' and development to mean growth. Picture a child or plant whose growth is suddenly stopped, which is why it means 'growth or development that has stopped before finishing'.