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
-
Wear masks: All of these respiratory illnesses can be spread through airborne viruses or bacteria particles.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2025
-
It is increasingly recognised that many neurodivergent people are experiencing greater levels of chronic illness, which may have been exacerbated by / precipitated by the Covid-19 outbreak.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Blood pressure may rise with age, increasing cardiovascular disease risk.—
Anisha Shah,
Verywell Health,
4 June 2025
-
Untreated dental disease can even be life threatening, as in the case of Deamonte Driver, who died at age 12 after bacteria spread from an untreated tooth abscess to his brain.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Survey respondents’ anxiety over unemployment also declined, but a separate measure of employment trends from the Conference Board dipped slightly, reflecting lingering economic uncertainty.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
10 June 2025
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When an industry accelerates this fast, anxiety is sure to follow and a growing number of CEOs aren’t asking whether to build with AI.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
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The plan lists a slew of excused absences, including sickness among students, major illness in the student’s immediate family, and doctor’s appointments.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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Medical coverage $75,000 in emergency accident and sickness coverage $250,000 in evacuation and repatriation coverage $750 in emergency dental treatment coverage Pre-existing conditions No coverage for pre-existing conditions within 60 days of your policy’s start date.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hypochondria.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypochondria. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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