cabin fever

noun

1. a state characterized by anxiety, restlessness, and boredom, arising from a prolonged stay in a remote or confined place.

cabin fever

noun

1. acute depression resulting from being isolated or sharing cramped quarters in the wilderness, esp during the long northern winter

Word History and Origins

Origin of cabin fever¹

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Idioms and Phrases

Distress or anxiety caused by prolonged confinement in a small or remote place, as in We've been snowed in for a week and everyone has cabin fever . Originating in the West, this term at first alluded to being penned up in a remote cabin during a long winter but has since been applied more broadly. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Thanks to a monster snowstorm that hit the area, the family had been cooped up inside for several days — and cabin fever was setting in.

From Los Angeles Times

“With the temperature about to turn from frigid to a little warmer, it’s likely more New Yorkers may have cabin fever and more will want to come to our parks,” he said.

From New York Times

You could create whole playlists exploring an individual element of weather, or a particular season — including the months of cabin fever, when the garden may be mostly out of reach.

From Seattle Times

You can blame California’s wild winter for all sorts of havoc this spring and summer: moldy, leaking roofs, plagues of mosquitoes, cabin fever.

From Los Angeles Times

This pure-hearted indie pop record is stuffed with radiant jams like living room romper “Risky Business Feeling” — a cabin fever combatant for early pandemic times.

From Seattle Times