hypochondria

[ hahy-puh-kon-dree-uh ]

noun

1. Also hy·po·chon·dri·a·sis [] Psychiatry. an excessive preoccupation with one's health, usually focusing on some particular symptom, as cardiac or gastric problems.
2. excessive worry or talk about one's health.

hypochondria

/ ˌhaɪpəˈkɒndrɪə /

noun

1. chronic abnormal anxiety concerning the state of one's health, even in the absence of any evidence of disease on medical examination Also calledhypochondriasisˌhaɪpəʊkɒnˈdraɪəsɪs

hypochondria

/ hī′pə-kŏn′drē-ə /

1. A psychiatric disorder characterized by the conviction that one is ill or soon to become ill, often accompanied by physical symptoms, when illness is neither present nor likely.
2. ◆ A person with hypochondria is called a hypochondriac.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypochondria¹

1555–65; < Late Latin < Greek, neuter plural of hypochóndrios pertaining to the upper abdomen (supposed seat of melancholy), equivalent to hypo- hypo- + chóndr ( os ) ensiform cartilage + -ios adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypochondria¹

C18: from Late Latin: the abdomen, supposedly the seat of melancholy, from Greek hupokhondria, from hupokhondrios of the upper abdomen, from hypo- + khondros cartilage

Example Sentences

Nicknamed "The Prince of Pain", Lewis was known for poking fun at his own neuroses and hypochondria during his comedy routines.

From BBC

James Gorman is a long-time science writer and the author of books on hypochondria, penguins, dinosaurs and the ocean around Antarctica.

From Washington Post

She's very, well, a lot and her obsessive compulsive tendencies and hypochondria are played at first in "A League of Their Own" as over the top, for cheap-feeling laughs.

From Salon

Mr. Roman’s jokes were quintessential Borscht Belt, poking fun at stereotypical Jewish culture — bickering spouses, overindulgence in food, hypochondria, and a lot of complaining.

From Washington Post

In her raw, sometimes crudely drawn work, Ms. Kominsky-Crumb unabashedly described her abusive childhood, her cosmetic surgery and her hypochondria, as well as her sex life and her long open marriage to Mr. Crumb, with whom she occasionally collaborated.

From New York Times