basement-dwelling existence
- noun
- Offensive
- After years of working remotely, he settled into a basement-dwelling existence filled with online meetings and solitude.
Examples
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Some critics argue that a basement-dwelling existence can lead to social withdrawal and missed opportunities.
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Her choice to adopt a basement-dwelling existence allowed her to save money while focusing on her online art business.
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She joked about her basement-dwelling existence while showing off her collection of vintage comics online.
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He leads a basement-dwelling existence that few understand.
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Living a basement-dwelling existence can be quite lonely.
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After years of living alone in his parents' home, he embraced a basement-dwelling existence that kept him away from the outside world.
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Many people view a basement-dwelling existence as a sign of retreating from societal norms and choosing a simpler life.
Synonyms
A person who lives in a basement and has little contact with other people
To live alone away from other people by choice
Antonyms
How Withdrawn
Surface Forms
Morphology
basement-dwelling + existence
The phrase is compositionally built from 'basement' (underground room) + 'dwelling' (place of living) + 'existence' (state of being), so a learner who knows those words can readily infer it means a way of living in a basement. Some connotative implications (social isolation or modest means) are pragmatic extensions, but the core meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Basement-dwelling existence gives a clear image of someone living alone in a low, dark basement, dwelling there most of the time. So, that picture helps explain why the phrase means 'social isolation', 'little money', or 'withdrawal' from regular life.