as in complainer
a person who is often or always worried about being ill
My brother is a real hypochondriac. Every time he reads about some new disease, he thinks he has it.
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Recent Examples of hypochondriac
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
Goosed along by Cliff Martinez’s ghostly electronic score, Soderbergh taps into our collective inner hypochondriac, making every character’s sniffle or rubbed eye bristle with potential danger.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
In the new film Hot Milk, the sensual but diffident 20-something Sofia (Emma Mackey) travels with her invalid mother, Rose (Fiona Shaw), to the Mediterranean shores of Spain in search of an experimental cure for the latter’s (possibly hypochondriac) illness.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypochondriac
Noun
Reviews were mixed at the time, but that deep-dive into the widening mental abyss of a hypochondriac playwright (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) has only grown in esteem over time.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
Goosed along by Cliff Martinez’s ghostly electronic score, Soderbergh taps into our collective inner hypochondriac, making every character’s sniffle or rubbed eye bristle with potential danger.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Olivia Colman will appear in Pride and Prejudice as Mrs. Bennet, Lizzy's hypochondriac mother.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
In the new film Hot Milk, the sensual but diffident 20-something Sofia (Emma Mackey) travels with her invalid mother, Rose (Fiona Shaw), to the Mediterranean shores of Spain in search of an experimental cure for the latter’s (possibly hypochondriac) illness.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypochondriac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypochondriac
Noun
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Instead of pushing through pain and not speaking up for fear they'll be labeled weak or a complainer, this generation is more inclined to listen to their bodies, advocate for themselves, and address the issue through the proper resources.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
10 June 2026
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However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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Her mother, Pattie (Alli Mauzey), is ludicrously hypochondriacal, as if atoning for the chromosomal accident that produced her quick-aging child.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
8 Dec. 2021
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Many women with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease first named in 1877, were misdiagnosed as mentally unwell and dismissed as hypochondriacal well into the 20th century.—
Elinor Cleghorn,
WSJ,
12 June 2021
Adjective
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The department’s special education office ensures states comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees access to education for disabled students.—
Alia Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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For example, states are weighing cuts to in-home care, a change that could mean the difference between a disabled child being able to live with their parents or being forced to move to a residential care facility.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hypochondriac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypochondriac. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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