anorexia nervosa

noun

anorexia ner·vo·sa | \ -(ˌ)nər-ˈvō-sə

, -zə \

Definition of anorexia nervosa

: a serious disorder in eating behavior that is characterized especially by a pathological fear of weight gain leading to faulty eating patterns, malnutrition, and usually excessive weight loss and that occurs most commonly in young women in their teens and early twenties

Examples of anorexia nervosa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, are some of the most fatal mental illnesses – second only to opioid addiction. — Carly Graf, NBC News, 15 Apr. 2022 Although anorexia nervosa was first identified in both boys and girls in the 19th century, Murray said boys were excluded from the research and the diagnostic criteria. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 21 Feb. 2022 After being rushed to the hospital, her heart rate was so low that Herrera, grappling with anorexia nervosa, was immediately admitted to an ED treatment center. — Raquel Reichard, refinery29.com, 29 Mar. 2022 Eating disorders, or EDs, are a group of mental illnesses that most commonly include anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. — Sandhya Raman, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Mar. 2022 Two large plans covered nutritional counseling for diseases such as diabetes but not for mental disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia. — Sandhya Raman, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Mar. 2022 There's yet another issue: Most of the in-patients at Norris's hospital were hospitalized due to anorexia nervosa, a type of eating disorder that manifests with an intense fear of gaining weight due to a distorted body image. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 4 Feb. 2022 Karen Carpenter’s death in 1983 was attributed to heart failure caused by an eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, leaving her legacy frozen in time. — al, 28 Jan. 2022 Nearly a year after being diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, Tess Holliday is sharing the challenges of recovery—a process that is often non-linear—in a new essay for TODAY. — Macaela Mackenzie, SELF, 18 Jan. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anorexia nervosa.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

29 Apr 2022

Cite this Entry

“Anorexia nervosa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anorexia%20nervosa. Accessed 27 Jun. 2022.

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More Definitions for anorexia nervosa

anorexia nervosa

noun

anorexia ner·vo·sa | \ -(ˌ)nər-ˈvō-sə, -zə

Medical Definition of anorexia nervosa

: a serious eating disorder that is characterized especially by a pathological fear of weight gain leading to faulty eating patterns, malnutrition, and usually excessive weight loss and that occurs most commonly in young women in their teens and early twenties