gender dysphoria

noun

: a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person was identified as having at birth
I am a 24-year-old transgender woman, and I know gender dysphoria very well. My distress over my physical body, my feeling that it doesn't always match up with my gender identity, often lurks in some far corner of my mind. It doesn't matter how well I'm dressed, how much I brush my hair, how many compliments I receive, or how well my hormone therapy treatment is working. When gender dysphoria hits, it packs a punch.Serena Sonoma
also : a condition marked by such distress
The treatment for gender dysphoria is often multi-disciplinary, combining the efforts of several behavioral health and medical professionals. … Non-operative treatment focuses on implementing psychosocial therapy and/or medical management with hormone replacement therapy. Operative treatments range from small cosmetic procedures to much larger genital transformation surgeries. Danyon Anderson et al.
compare gender euphoria

Examples of gender dysphoria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
It was recently announced that military commanders will be required to identify service members in their units who are transgender or have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and refer them for medical evaluations that could result in their removal from the military. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025 Around 1,000 troops who have self-identified as being diagnosed with gender dysphoria will start the voluntary separation process, Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said on Thursday. Filip Timotija, The Hill, 9 May 2025 Consider the mental health impacts of untreated gender dysphoria. ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 7 May 2025 The Pentagon spent roughly $52 million on medical care to treat gender dysphoria between 2015 and 2024, according to a Defense Department memo. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gender dysphoria

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gender dysphoria was in 1973

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Cite this Entry

“Gender dysphoria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender%20dysphoria. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Medical Definition

gender dysphoria

noun
: a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person was identified as having at birth
Nonbinary people may or may not use medical approaches to align their identities and physical bodies, and, like transgender people, some nonbinary people experience gender dysphoria while others do not.Elizabeth Kukura, Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics
also : a condition marked by such distress
Scientists have no conclusive explanation for what causes some people to feel dissonance between their gender identity and aspects of their anatomy. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association updated its manual, replacing the term "gender identity disorder," with one that is less stigmatizing, "gender dysphoria." The New York Times
compare gender euphoria
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