sophomore slump

Meaning

This term refers to a disappointing second effort, such as a second album, book, season of a TV show, or season for an athlete. It happens when the follow-up project fails to live up to the high standards or success of the debut.

Examples

• After her massive debut album, her second record unfortunately suffered from a sophomore slump.

  After her massive debut album, her second record unfortunately suffered from a sophomore slump.

• The director's second movie was a classic sophomore slump, lacking the charm of his first indie hit.

  The director's second movie was a classic sophomore slump, lacking the charm of his first indie hit.

• Fans are hoping the hit drama series can avoid a sophomore slump in its upcoming second season.

  Fans are hoping the hit drama series can avoid a sophomore slump in its upcoming second season.

• The young quarterback is struggling with a sophomore slump after his incredible rookie year.

  The young quarterback is struggling with a sophomore slump after his incredible rookie year.

• It's common for authors to experience a sophomore slump because they have less time to write their second book.

  It's common for authors to experience a sophomore slump because they have less time to write their second book.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The team is having a second-year slump.

  ✓ The team is experiencing a sophomore slump.

  While 'second-year slump' makes grammatical sense, 'sophomore slump' is the standard, widely accepted idiomatic term in creative and sporting contexts.

• ✗ Her sophomore slump album was very successful.

  ✓ Her sophomore album suffered from a slump.

  'Sophomore slump' is a noun phrase. You should not use the entire phrase as an adjective directly modifying another noun like 'album'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• After winning rookie of the year, his sudden drop in performance was a classic ___.

  💡 A disappointing second-year effort.

  Show answer

  sophomore slump

• The band's second album didn't sell well, suffering from a major ___.

  💡 Two words, referring to a second-stage decline.

  Show answer

  sophomore slump