anhedonia
noun
an·he·do·nia
ˌan-(ˌ)hē-ˈdō-nē-ə 
-nyə
: a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable acts
Examples of anhedonia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica seemed to be describing anhedonia, a struggle to experience pleasure.
—
Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
But others report side effects like full-body itchiness, intense anxiety, or anhedonia.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
But the markets’ resiliency over the past month indicates a more all-encompassing anhedonia.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
The risk of gastroparesis, hair loss, rapid muscle degeneration, tooth loss, anhedonia, and vision loss are dismissed as acceptable trade-offs in the war against fat.
—Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
What made people with specific musical anhedonia different from the two other groups was how the different regions in the brain communicated with each other.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Reduced dopamine activity is commonly seen in people suffering from major depressive disorder, particularly in cases involving anhedonia, a condition marked by the inability to feel pleasure even when mood symptoms improve.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, in people with musical anhedonia, MRI scans showed reduced response to music, but not for other pleasures.
—Jay Kakade
august 10, New Atlas, 10 Aug. 2025
At my worst, there was utter loneliness and anhedonia.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
But others report side effects like full-body itchiness, intense anxiety, or anhedonia.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
But the markets’ resiliency over the past month indicates a more all-encompassing anhedonia.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
The risk of gastroparesis, hair loss, rapid muscle degeneration, tooth loss, anhedonia, and vision loss are dismissed as acceptable trade-offs in the war against fat.
—Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
What made people with specific musical anhedonia different from the two other groups was how the different regions in the brain communicated with each other.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Reduced dopamine activity is commonly seen in people suffering from major depressive disorder, particularly in cases involving anhedonia, a condition marked by the inability to feel pleasure even when mood symptoms improve.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, in people with musical anhedonia, MRI scans showed reduced response to music, but not for other pleasures.
—Jay Kakade
august 10, New Atlas, 10 Aug. 2025
At my worst, there was utter loneliness and anhedonia.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anhedonia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anhedonia. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
anhedonia
noun
an·he·do·nia
ˌan-hē-ˈdō-nē-ə
: a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure in acts which normally produce it compare analgesia
anhedonic
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
