locust years: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (C2)Literary, formal, historical, journalistic (in analysis).
Quick answer
What does “locust years” mean?
A period of time characterized by severe hardship, devastation, or moral/economic decline, often following a time of prosperity.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A period of time characterized by severe hardship, devastation, or moral/economic decline, often following a time of prosperity.
A metaphorical reference to times of ruin, waste, or barrenness, implying that something vital has been consumed or lost, leaving little of value behind. It often carries a historical or collective sense of a society or nation undergoing a prolonged crisis.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The phrase is understood in both varieties but may have slightly higher recognition in British English due to its association with Churchill's famous use describing the interwar period.
Connotations
In both varieties, it connotes profound historical or national tragedy. In UK contexts, it may be more readily linked to specific historical periods (e.g., 1930s). In US contexts, it might be applied to economic depressions or eras of social strife.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in everyday speech. Almost exclusively found in formal writing, political commentary, or historical analysis.
Grammar
How to Use “locust years” in a Sentence
The [PLACE/TIME/ERA] endured its locust years.[EVENT/LEADERSHIP/POLICY] ushered in a decade of locust years.The nation emerged from the locust years of [CRISIS].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “locust years” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The government's policies effectively locusted a generation's prospects. (Very rare, non-standard creative use)
adjective
British English
- The country's locust-year politics left deep scars. (Very rare, non-standard creative use)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might be used in executive speeches or analyst reports to describe an extended period of industry-wide losses or regulatory stagnation (e.g., 'The sector is finally recovering from its locust years.').
Academic
Used in history, political science, and economics to label eras of decline, often with a critical or evaluative tone.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation. Its use would mark the speaker as highly educated or literary.
Technical
Not used in scientific/technical fields. Solely a humanistic, metaphorical term.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “locust years”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “locust years”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “locust years”
- Using it to describe a single bad year (it implies a prolonged period).
- Using it for personal misfortune (it's typically collective/historical).
- Confusing it with 'a plague of locusts', which is a literal event.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It originates from the Bible (Book of Joel), describing a plague of locusts as divine punishment. Its modern metaphorical use was popularised by Winston Churchill in his 1948 book 'The Gathering Storm', where he called the period of Allied disarmament and Axis aggression in the 1930s 'the locust years'.
It is strongly discouraged. The phrase has a grand, historical, or societal scale. Using it for personal troubles would sound overly dramatic and stylistically incongruent.
No, it is a low-frequency, literary idiom. Most native speakers will understand it from context, but it is not part of active everyday vocabulary. It is a marker of formal or educated discourse.
A 'recession' is a specific technical term for a period of economic decline. 'Locust years' is broader, more metaphorical, and emotive. It can encompass economic, moral, social, and cultural decline, and implies a prior state of health that has been 'consumed'. A recession can be part of locust years.
A period of time characterized by severe hardship, devastation, or moral/economic decline, often following a time of prosperity.
Locust years is usually literary, formal, historical, journalistic (in analysis). in register.
Locust years: in British English it is pronounced /ˈləʊ.kəst jɪəz/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈloʊ.kəst jɪrz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “feast or famine”
- “the lean years”
- “hard times”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a prosperous, green field. A swarm of locusts descends and eats everything, leaving behind barren, brown earth. 'Locust years' are the time when the field is bare and recovering—the years 'eaten' by disaster.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A LANDSCAPE (that can be devoured by pests). / PROSPERITY IS A CROP (that can be consumed).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the phrase 'locust years' be LEAST appropriate?