trichotillomania
noun
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The word trichotillomania derives from the Greek trich- ("hair") and tillein ("to pull or pluck"), along with the suffix -mania (from mainesthai, meaning "to be mad"). People suffering from trichotillomania will routinely pluck hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of the body, usually impulsively but sometimes with careful deliberation (such as by using tweezers). Some researchers believe that it may be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The word for this condition first appeared in English around the dawn of the 20th century (it's generally thought to have been first coined in French by a French dermatologist).
Examples of trichotillomania in a Sentence
Casey Clark, SELF, 19 Oct. 2020
The study also notes that the severity of trichotillomania can ride in waves throughout a person’s life for days, weeks, even years at a time.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 13 Mar. 2020
Both adults living with fully realized trichotillomania and practitioners who treat repetitive behavioral disorders agree that the best way to approach a child with budding compulsive anxiety is with acceptance and gentle removal of triggers.
—Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2019
As with trichotillomania, these behaviors can’t be better explained by some other condition or disorder.
—Anna Borges, SELF, 13 Aug. 2019
And, in some cases, trichotillomania can have medical—not just aesthetic—side effects.
—Anna Borges, SELF, 13 Aug. 2019
Victoria's Secret Angel Sara Sampaio is opening up about a mental health issue that affects her everyday life: trichotillomania, a condition that gives her the urge to pluck the hair from her eyebrows.
—Temi Adebowale, Harper's BAZAAR, 30 July 2018
So much deeper, in fact, that when Sara Sampaio was recently asked a benign question about her eyebrow maintenance, the model gave an honest answer about her trichotillomania.
—Andrea Park, Allure, 25 July 2018
Cite this Entry
“Trichotillomania.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trichotillomania. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
trichotillomania
noun
called also hairpulling, trich
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