hypochondriac

1 of 2

adjective

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​ac ˌhī-pə-ˈkän-drē-ˌak 

1

: hypochondriacal

2

anatomy : of, relating to, or being the two regions of the abdomen lying on either side of the epigastric region and above the lumbar regions

hypochondriac

2 of 2

noun

: a person who is often or always worried about his or her own health : a person affected by hypochondria or hypochondriasis

… comparing America's addiction to polls to a hypochondriac's obsessive monitoring of his pulse rate.

—Erica Goode

Although a self-avowed hypochondriac, he actually did suffer from a variety of ailments …

—Eugenia Zukerman

Examples of hypochondriac in a Sentence

Noun

My brother is a real hypochondriac. Every time he reads about some new disease, he thinks he has it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Crampton is a hypochondriac: her preferred term, though modern medicine is trying to drum it out of the discourse. —Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

Interviews with two of Clemente’s sons as well as his late wife Vera capture a man who was loving, dedicated and just a bit eccentric — a fight almost breaks out between two talking heads over whether or not Clemente was a hypochondriac — in a purely human way. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024

Noun

While hypochondriacs can tell you the names of the people staffing the emergency department as easily as the names of their kids, primary care also has a meaningful frontline role to play. —Hal Rosenbluth, STAT, 17 June 2024

Easing the burden on our country’s emergency rooms could very well put us on the path to more effective, efficient patient care for everyone—including hypochondriacs. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

earlier, "arising in the hypochondria (organs of the upper abdomen behind the ribs)," borrowed from Middle French hypochondriaque, borrowed from Medieval Latin hypochondriacus, borrowed from Greek hypochondriakós, from hypochóndria + -akos -ac — more at hypochondria

Noun

borrowed from Middle French hypochondriaque, noun derivative of hypochondriaque hypochondriac entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1639, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hypochondriac

noun

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​ac

ˌhī-pə-ˈkän-drē-ˌak

: a person who has hypochondria

Medical Definition

hypochondriac

1 of 2 adjective

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​ac -drē-ˌak 

1

: hypochondriacal

2

a

: situated below the costal cartilages

b

: of, relating to, or being the two abdominal regions lying on either side of the epigastric region and above the lumbar regions

hypochondriac

2 of 2 noun

: an individual affected with hypochondria or hypochondriasis

A person can be said to be a hypochondriac when his or her preoccupation with health or disease is so intense that it disrupts normal living habits and is disproportionate to any medical problems that actually exist.

—People Weekly