bulimia

noun

bu·​lim·​ia bü-ˈlē-mē-ə How to pronounce bulimia (audio) byü- How to pronounce bulimia (audio) -ˈli- How to pronounce bulimia (audio)
1
: a serious eating disorder that occurs chiefly in females, is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or laxative or diuretic abuse, and is often accompanied by guilt and depression

called also bulimia nervosa

2
: an abnormal and constant craving for food
bulimic adjective or noun

Examples of bulimia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Gossiping about her daughter Venetia’s eating disorder, Lady Elspeth laments that bulimia didn’t even make the girl lose weight. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 There is also a risk for behaviors such as bulimia, Keshen added. Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 The misuse of laxatives, however, has been associated with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa—often as a compensatory behavior for binge eating. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023 About 1 in 4 people with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa will attempt to kill themselves, and those with anorexia have a risk of death by suicide 31 times higher than peers without the disorder. April Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2024 Other eating disorders like binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa might cause frequent periods. Jessica Migala, Health, 11 Sep. 2023 The three have interviewed guests like Sarah Paulson, Brandi Carlile, Brené Brown, Billie Jean King and Chanel Miller, while tackling difficult topics like Doyle's eating disorder and bulimia relapse. Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 1 Aug. 2023 Watch for eating disorders The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. Rochelle Koff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Chaos reigns, and jokes about bulimia, gray-area rape, and the emptiness of empowerment slogans fly as freely as the punches. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 25 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bulimia.' 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

New Latin, from Greek boulimia great hunger, from bou-, augmentative prefix (from bous head of cattle) + limos hunger — more at cow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of bulimia was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bulimia

Cite this Entry

“Bulimia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulimia. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bulimia

noun
bu·​lim·​ia bü-ˈlē-mē-ə How to pronounce bulimia (audio) byü- How to pronounce bulimia (audio)
: a serious eating disorder mainly of young women that is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by intentional vomiting or laxative abuse
bulimic adjective

Medical Definition

bulimia

noun
variants also boulimia
1
: an abnormal and constant craving for food

called also hyperorexia

2
: a serious eating disorder that occurs chiefly in females, is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or laxative or diuretic abuse, and is often accompanied by guilt and depression

More from Merriam-Webster on bulimia

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