as in illness
unusual or excessive concern about your health; a tendency to fear or imagine that you have illnesses that you do not actually have
She fueled her hypochondria by reading articles about rare diseases.
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Recent Examples of hypochondria
Illness Anxiety Disorder Colloquially, a constant concern for health is known as hypochondria.
—
Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
Changing the approach to identifying and treating hypochondria requires health care professionals to strike a challenging — but necessary — balance of thoroughly vetting their patients’ claims while remaining cautious of not overselling or recommending a battery of tests.
—Hal Rosenbluth, STAT, 17 June 2024
Referrals to mental health professionals who treat hypochondria with cognitive behavioral therapy or medications the Food and Drug Administration has approved for treating hypochondria will create a realistic approach to addressing and validating people living with hypochondria.
—Hal Rosenbluth, STAT, 17 June 2024
She’s got your backs, opening with the moment her own lifelong, free-range hypochondria probably began — when a sweet high school classmate suddenly died of Hodgkin’s disease.
—Joan Frank, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023
Early on, many doctors, predictably, dismissed these cases as the result of anxiety or hypochondria.
—Meghan O'Rourke, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2021
Tindaro’s perfect pedigree as an eligible bachelor is undermined by his insufferable attitude, rampant hypochondria, and blunt disdain for women.
—Breanna Bell, Variety, 14 Dec. 2022
And Dostoyevsky, with the infernal reveler ejected, is relieved that second of his hemorrhoids, his gambling habit, his seizures, his fevers, his depression, his hypochondria, his appalling futuristic intuitions and obsessions.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2021
To suggest otherwise is nothing short of political hypochondria.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 12 Aug. 2021
Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
Changing the approach to identifying and treating hypochondria requires health care professionals to strike a challenging — but necessary — balance of thoroughly vetting their patients’ claims while remaining cautious of not overselling or recommending a battery of tests.
—Hal Rosenbluth, STAT, 17 June 2024
Referrals to mental health professionals who treat hypochondria with cognitive behavioral therapy or medications the Food and Drug Administration has approved for treating hypochondria will create a realistic approach to addressing and validating people living with hypochondria.
—Hal Rosenbluth, STAT, 17 June 2024
She’s got your backs, opening with the moment her own lifelong, free-range hypochondria probably began — when a sweet high school classmate suddenly died of Hodgkin’s disease.
—Joan Frank, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023
Early on, many doctors, predictably, dismissed these cases as the result of anxiety or hypochondria.
—Meghan O'Rourke, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2021
Tindaro’s perfect pedigree as an eligible bachelor is undermined by his insufferable attitude, rampant hypochondria, and blunt disdain for women.
—Breanna Bell, Variety, 14 Dec. 2022
And Dostoyevsky, with the infernal reveler ejected, is relieved that second of his hemorrhoids, his gambling habit, his seizures, his fevers, his depression, his hypochondria, his appalling futuristic intuitions and obsessions.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2021
To suggest otherwise is nothing short of political hypochondria.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 12 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypochondria
Noun
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With this move, the FDA will limit the vaccine’s availability later this year to older adults and those who may be at risk of severe illness, Reuters reported.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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Most people recover without treatment, however, in rare circumstances, infection can produce more severe illness and require hospitalization.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
22 May 2025
Noun
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This field includes liquid biopsy, referring to techniques that process bodily fluids such as blood, urine, and saliva for different disease biomarkers.—
Cat Wang,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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The fungal disease does not spread from person to person, according to the CDC.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Although summer is usually the best time for relaxing, some grads might already be feeling the anxiety that comes with starting a new school or job.—
Brenda Stolyar,
Wired News,
18 May 2025
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As reported by First Post, Poland is holding a presidential election against a backdrop of growing security concerns, fueled by the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine and anxiety over a potential U.S. retreat from European defense commitments under President Donald Trump.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
Noun
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Luther is shown struggling with a sickness early in the movie.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
23 May 2025
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Organic materials like wood and oil that don’t fully burn can leave polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — or PAHs — which can harm the immune system and cause sickness in the short term and cancer in the long term.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hypochondria.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypochondria. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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