Not unless we are all dying in childhood.

orphan

noun

or·​phan [ˈȯr-fən]

1 child deprived by death of one or usually both parents

A lot of children die before their parents do

And a widow (around half of married people).

I was 'orphaned' 15yrs ago when my dad passed. My mom had already passed 3yrs earlier.

Now, I do tend to agree that "orphaned" is a fair application of the word when there are major unresolved needs or un-learned skills (etc) in the child that only the parent can teach. And hey, I was definitely in that category due to a hellishly difficult-to-identify disease I'd suffered since childhood. But that's just me, and it could be almost anything going on with other people.

The basic idea being that you still needed something from your parents, but weren't able to get it because of their passing, I guess.

I think maybe the biggest thing I long for and regret to this day is not being able to have enough adult-to-adult conversations with my folks. One in which I could come to the table having a basic core set of life experiences and accomplishments that my parents shared, and go from there. It would have been fascinating, I think.

Unfortunately too much of the time our interactions leaned too much towards my own ailment and the problems and awkwardness it kept bringing. Seriously, that kind of thing can be a real confidence-killer over time, tell you hwat. Like the child constantly being put in the unwilling position of being an embarrassing burden, even in to adulthood, nominally.

Oof, not sure I explained very well, but there it is.
@schwim@piefed.zip

I was orphaned with living parents at age four <3

When my maternal grandmother died, my mom told me that no matter how old you are, when your parents die you feel like an orphan.

Now, of course, it's going to be different if you're young and still dependent on them. However, my father died in May, and I understand what my mother said. I'm 56 years old, but still I feel untethered. I keep thinking of things to tell my dad. Worse, I have questions I'd like to ask him.

not really. orphans are by definition children. once your recognized as an adult you are technically not an orphan. Of course in the us there is the question of 18 to 21 range and realistically people have been dependent on their parents till mid twenties for decades and nowadays that is going into the 30's and beyond. So. maybe you have a point.

Little orphan Funkhouser.