dysthymia

noun

dys·​thy·​mia dis-ˈthī-mē-ə How to pronounce dysthymia (audio)
: a mood disorder characterized by chronic mildly depressed or irritable mood often accompanied by other symptoms (such as eating and sleeping disturbances, fatigue, and poor self-esteem)

called also dysthymic disorder

dysthymic adjective or noun

Examples of dysthymia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It is categorized as a mental illness, on the low end of the spectrum of manic depressive illness, with dysthymia — its depressive equivalent — at the other end of the spectrum. Gregg Martin, STAT, 31 Oct. 2021 Low grade depression or dysthymia can start to feel normal. Ashley Stahl, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2021 In the second, at the opposite end of things, are people who already have a clinical diagnosis of major depressive disorder or a persistent version known as dysthymia. James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 22 May 2020 Another person may have low-grade depressive symptoms that last a really long time, otherwise known as dysthymia. Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 23 Apr. 2020 There are several different forms of depression (like dysthymia, postpartum depression, or seasonal affective disorder), but major depressive disorder is typically the form that most people are familiar with. D. Elizabeth, SELF, 24 Oct. 2018 Diagnoses like depression, dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and bipolar disorder all benefit from CBT, too. Molly Burford, Allure, 16 Oct. 2019 Silverman explains that in the DSM-5, experts essentially collapsed two mood disorders—chronic major depressive disorder and dysthymia—into one: PDD. Claire Gillespie, SELF, 19 Nov. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dysthymia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from German Dysthymie, borrowed from Greek dysthȳmía "despondency, despair," from dýsthȳmos "despondent, melancholy" (from dys- dys- + ¬-thȳmos, adjective derivative of thȳmós "spirit, mind, courage") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at fume entry 1

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dysthymia was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near dysthymia

Cite this Entry

“Dysthymia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dysthymia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

dysthymia

noun
dys·​thy·​mia dis-ˈthī-mē-ə How to pronounce dysthymia (audio)
: a mood disorder characterized by chronic mildly depressed or irritable mood often accompanied by other symptoms (as eating and sleeping disturbances, fatigue, and poor self-esteem)

called also dysthymic disorder

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!